People spent more than $6 trillion on online shopping last year as consumers continue to turn to digital retailers.
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The figure, reported by the International Trade Administration, comes as some websites have been found to contain fake artificial intelligence reviews.
While these ratings help guide consumer decisions, the rise of AI has led to the creation of automated feedback that can be mixed in with legitimate customer reviews.
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Kyle James with Consumer Affairs has studied the presence of fake reviews and developed what he calls a “60-second smell test” to help shoppers evaluate feedback.
One of the primary indicators of a fake review is repetitive wording across multiple posts.
“You can see through the wording that, okay, something might be kind of fishy,” James said.
He noted that AI-generated content often relies on the same templates or phrases.
“‘I was skeptical, but’ or ‘as someone who’ or ‘this product, was a game changer,’” James said, citing a common example of repetitive phrasing.
The timing of reviews can also signal automated activity.
James suggests shoppers look for large clusters of feedback posted within a short window. “You see, oh my gosh, there’s like 15 new reviews in the last week or before that,” James said. “There was like six months before the last review.”
He also recommends clicking on a reviewer’s name to check their history for abnormalities.
“If you can click on the reviewer’s name and it shows you, like all of their reviews, if their shopping behavior is really weird and not natural,” James said.
The smell test includes checking for illogical item descriptions and the use of stock photography.
James found that some fake reviews describe features that do not exist, such as a zipper on a phone case.
Additionally, multiple accounts may post the same photos, which James said suggests the use of stock images by AI.
He advised that shoppers should ultimately trust their own instincts when reviewing a product’s rating.
Beyond identifying fake reviews, some consumers use specific payment methods to provide a layer of financial protection.
Rebecca Robbins of Dayton said she prefers to use a credit card for her online purchases.
“You always want to try to get your credit card, right? Because you know, you can get your money back if something happens, typically,” Robbins said.
Shoppers are also encouraged to verify return policies before buying to ensure they can return items to a physical store or through the mail if the product is not what they expected.
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