The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) said two websites – BuyReviewSG and GetReviewSG – were found to have provided fake review services to about 100 businesses.
The websites were owned by Julian Tung Yan Kai, who is the sole director of Reputifly – a company that operated the websites.
This marks the commission’s largest fake review investigation to date in terms of the number of businesses involved, prompting a two-phase probe.
The first phase covers the fake review provider and 47 businesses that had procured its services.
Of these, 45 businesses admitted they had purchased fake reviews from the provider.
They have agreed to cease their unfair practices, remove the fake reviews and publish a public apology for six months on their websites, social media accounts and at their physical premises.
The fake review service provider admitted to aiding and abetting these unfair practices by generating fake review content, recruiting and paying reviewers, and taking steps to make the reviews appear authentic.
It has also committed to putting a stop to providing such services and publishing a public apology on Reputifly’s website for six months. In addition, it voluntarily committed to donating proceeds obtained from its fake review services to a charity.
Two of the businesses, however, declined to provide undertakings on the commission’s required terms. CCS said it will continue its investigations into these two firms and take firmer enforcement action if necessary.
Meanwhile, the second phase of the investigation, which extends beyond the remaining businesses to other businesses that may have procured fake review services, is ongoing.
Alvin Koh, the chief executive of CCS, said: “In the digital age, consumers increasingly rely on online reviews to decide what to buy and which businesses to trust. They should be able to expect that these reviews reflect genuine experiences, not manufactured ones.
“Fake reviews deceive consumers, distort competition and disadvantage businesses that compete honestly.”
He warned that CCS will “pursue not only those who buy (the fake reviews), but also those who profit from supplying them”.
In its statement, the commission urged other fake review providers, as well as businesses that bought fake reviews, to come forward voluntarily.
It added that those who do so before CCS commences investigations will have their cooperation viewed favourably.
How the fake review operation worked
CCS investigations found that Tung started providing the fake review services in or before 2023, eventually expanding his services to about 100 businesses.
The fake reviews would be posted on online review platforms including Google, Facebook, Tripadvisor, Carousell, Yelp and Trustpilot.
Companies could purchase packages of fake reviews to be posted periodically. They could even use a rating calculator to determine how many five-star reviews were needed to reach their desired Google rating.
To make the reviews resemble genuine customer experiences, the provider used generative artificial intelligence.
The technology was used to vary writing styles and sentence structures, incorporate details specific to the Singapore context, and introduce natural imperfections. Clients were also able to edit the generated reviews before publication.
As the operation grew more sophisticated, an online dashboard was introduced to generate, manage, and track the fake reviews.
The dashboard could draw from a business’ existing four- and five-star Google reviews to generate new ones containing relevant details.
Some fake reviews deliberately described initial reservations before recounting a positive experience, creating an illusion of authenticity.
The 45 businesses found to have procured fake reviews are: Apax Medical Kovan; Apax Medical; Aqua Luxe; Atop Aesthetic; Bavarian Capital; BrandLoom Digital; Certified Translation Services; Chrysalis Spa; Data Savers; Dots ‘n’ Tots Interior; FAS Auto Services; First Security & Private Investigation; For the Love of Laundry; Forest Darts Bishan; Groupasia Hospitality; Harmony Essentials; Harmony Funeral Care; Haven Enterprises; Haven Tech; Hiremop; Integral Facilities Management (IFM); J & S Management; Kuisine Koncepts; L E Autoshop; Label-Line Corporation; Le Wave Art of Hair; Le Wave Hair; Le Wave Hair Studio; Martin Luxury; MB Karaoke Solution; Meso Ceramics; Nails In Dulge; Nanyang Brew Coffee; Picasso Hair Boutique; Play! Ball; Play! Tennis Now; Print Scream; Sanook Group; SBLab Beauty; The Hamper Story; TM Designers; Torio Japanese Restaurant; TT8 Logistics; UniWise Admissions Consulting; Yeo & Associates.
Under Singapore’s Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, posting or buying false reviews is an unfair practice because it deceives or misleads consumers.
Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) president Melvin Yong welcomes the enforcement action.
“Such fake reviews are not harmless. They mislead consumers into believing that a business or its products and services are more positively received than they actually are,” he said in a Facebook post on Sept 30.
He added: “CASE is also concerned about businesses incentivising consumers to only leave good reviews, often by dangling discounts or free gifts if consumers leave a five-star rating.”
He shared some signs consumers can look out for when assessing online reviews such as multiple reviews with similar wording and an unusually high number of five-star ratings within a short period.
He also encouraged them to compare reviews across different platforms before making a purchase. THE STRAITS TIMES
