National media coverage round-up: Fake online reviews

This week, BBC Five Live investigated the growing problem of fake reviews online. CIM’s CEO Chris Daly debates live on BBC Five Live the threats to both consumers and businesses and the results of CIM’s recent research, which found that:

• Online reviews are widely used with seven in ten consumers consulting one before buying a product or service
• 93% of those who say they read online reviews describe them as fairly or very important in their decisions about what to buy
• And a quarter of UK consumers believe they’ve been misled by a fake review in the past year – underlining the widespread nature of the problem

For more information on the story and our research please click on the below articles from leading newspapers and online news outlets:

BBC News - Fake five-star reviews being brought and sold online 

Read here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43907695

Daily Mail Online - How firms buy bogus online reviews for their products

Read here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5672147/How-firms-buy-bogus-online-reviews-products.html

BBC Radio 4 - News and Sunday Papers, 06:06

Listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b0lz4b

BBC Five Live investigates - Online Reviews for Sale

Listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b0rvff

BBC West Midlands 95.6 - Alex Lester at Breakfast, 1:06

Listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0642mhx

The following leading newspapers also featured the fake reviews investigation story:

Watch this space for more information on the topic as our investigation unfolds

For more information please see the BBC and CIM twitter feed