Do you look at all the little stars when shopping on Amazon or other online retailers?
The New York Times reports some customer reviews may be fake, or at the very least, somewhat biased.
It reports a company called VIP Deals was selling a leather Kindle case on Amazon.com valued at $59.99 for $10 and offering customers who purchased it a full refund in exchange for an online review. The offer expired right after Christmas. Nearly all of the 335 reviews VIP Deals received were five stars. Kindle cases are a potentially lucrative business because millions of the devices were sold over the holidays, so millions of consumers will likely be shopping for cases.
All of VIP Deals listings have been removed from Amazon, which prohibits sellers from compensating buyers for reviews. VIP Deals does not have a website, just a post office box in Los Angeles.
But the Federal Trade Commission says fake reviews are something it's concerned about. If you are not sure about an online purchase you plan to make, you may want to research reviews on more than one site.
To report a suspected deceptive business practice, contact the Federal Trade Commission here.