Millions of people around the world turn to Amazon everyday to purchase practically anything and everything. Due to their extremely low prices, excellent buyer protection, secure transactions, and very user friendly design, it’s quickly become one of the most convenient and trustworthy places to buy from.

However, there is a shadier web of lies, deceit, and blatant false advertising that, to the untrained eye, you could completely overlook when buying something on Amazon. By this, I am talking about fake reviews, and it’s something so prevalent I’ve heard as many as 60% of ALL reviews on Amazon are fabricated in one way, shape, or form.

Types of Fake Reviews

There are basically 2 types of fake reviews of supplements you’ll find on Amazon, the good AND the bad. The good reviews will be glowing with high praise, recommending the products to their friends and family. The bad will be completely bashing a supplement, calling it worthless and saying it did nothing.

That’s obvious, right? Well, sometimes those “glowing” good reviews were planted by the company making the supplement, and sometimes the ridiculing bad reviews are simply a competitor who is trying to paint a VERY bad picture of a competing supplement.

Why Does This Happen?

It really comes down to 2 reasons…1.) Positive reviews lead to more sales and 2.) More sales equal a higher ranking when you search for a particular type of supplement. Typically, when a vendor introduces a product onto the Amazon marketplace, they will be ranked very low (like page 10) until they build up a reputation.

That reputation is determined by a number of factors, including the products conversion rate, price point, and customer reviews / feedback.

Once the supplement has been introduced to the Amazon marketplace, they typically will have no reviews. No reviews means they will rank poorly, and anyone coming to buy their product (if they can even find it) will be left questioning whether or not the supplement even works.

There are literally THOUSANDS of supplements that do this, including Geniux, Alpha Fuel XT, and Spartagen XT.

Use these simple tips to identify fake Amazon reviews:

1. Check out the other reviews the “reviewer” has written

In an effort to convince you that their supplement works, vendors will hire friends, family, or even complete strangers to setup an Amazon account for the sole purpose of leaving a good rating and positive testimonial. You can typically identify these when you look to see what other reviews the individual has written.

Often times you’ll find that literally the vendors product is the ONLY review they have written. In some cases you’ll see that while they have reviewed one product quiet favorably, they have reviewed many other competing supplements VERY unfavorably.

You can check this easily by simply clicking on the “See all of my reviews” link just to the right of their username in the review.

2. See if there are alot of reviews written in a very short period of time

Following the above, when you check the “See all my reviews” link and see that they reviewed a bunch of different products in a very short period of time, this may also be a red flag.

In an effort to make the username appear more “legit” they will often write a bunch of reviews in a short period of time in case you check to see how many other reviews they have written.

3. Read the comments on the review

Alot of times people can sniff out a fake review on Amazon, and they will call out the specific reviewer in the comments section of that particular review. Take a very good look at the responses. If someone tries to call out the review as fake, does the reviewer go “above and beyond” to try and protect the validity of their review?

This is a sure sign that the “reviewer” probably has some sort of connection, whether financial or otherwise, to the company making the supplement.

4. Don’t always trust the “Amazon Verified Purchase”

While it’s true that the person writing the review may have “purchased” the product, the product may have been purchased by the company itself only to give the impression that it’s an independent review.

5. Sometimes “Short” reviews speak volumes

Typically if a “planted” review is just trying to affect the star rating average, you will find very brief feedback on the supplement in question. There might be only 1 or 2 sentences, and the review could be very vague.

6. Consider the Ratio of Good and Bad reviews

It’s more or less a proven fact that not EVERY supplement works for every person. However, GOOD supplements tend to have a higher then normal 4 and 5 star ratings, with very few 1 or 2 star ratings.

If you see a VERY close number of 5 star and 1 star ratings (think 12-5 star ratings and 11-1 star ratings), there is a GOOD chance that many of the 5 star reviews are fake.

Companies that plant reviews will essentially try to “offset” the bad reviews by making up good ones.

Conclusion

It sucks to think that many of the Amazon reviews you’ve read in the past were probably fake, but it’s the truth. Many companies will stop at nothing to give their product an upper hand on Amazon, and creating fake reviews is just the icing on the cake.

Use these tips and strategies to identify the warning signs and red flags of fake reviews, and pass it off to your friends so they know about it too!

Ask A Question

User Questions and Answers

Donald Trump has recommended a product he uses and how it increased memory, etc. It is also used by Tiger Woods and Denzel Washington have you checked this product out and what is the cost? -Dorothy

Donald Trump and the other celebrities mentioned are not really using these supplements.  Here's an article I wrote about these kinds of marketing scams.  In it, I mention several of the products that use this tactic.  I've got reviews for most of them that you can link to from the article.  Those reviews discuss ingredients and cost. But ultimately, I wouldn't recommend them. Read the reviews, and you'll see why.- Rob

Is meta boost and no2 blast. Help build musclers or is it scam to buy it. -James

They're both scam products. Go with Testofuel as your testosterone booster and Nitrocut as you pre workout.- Rob

Any information on "Nerve Renew" vitamin. Does it have results the way they advertise it. -Harold

I would doubt it. There are lots of supplements like this popping up lately.  They promise to solve almost any issue you can think of. That's your first clue.  I checked out their website, and when I clicked what was labeled as a link to the supplement facts, it took me to the page of an entirely different product.  No, I would steer clear of this supplement, and similar ones.- Rob

I was wondering if the bain enhancers like addium and cerebrax are scams or not -Steve

Those two are.  Our Addium Review will help you see how.  We don't have a Cerebrax review, but it's basically the same.  But there are cognitive enhancers that work. Check out our review for Optimind. You may also want to sign up for our free Nootropics ebook, which can explain in more detail how they work.- Rob

I have ordered serious mass from amazon seller is primarc pecan ltd it is one of the authorised seller of optimum nutrition in India but reviews got me confused,one reviewer was saying serious mass is discontinued.is it true please help ASAP -Mayank

I haven't seen or heard anything about Serious Mass being discontinued. I just checked a couple websites, and they're all still selling it.- Rob

ASEA seems to be a billion dollar Multi-Level Marketing company base in Salt Lake City, Utah. They claim their modified water will regenerate billions of cells in your body and renew your body to your youth. So what do you know or heard about this product? -Allan

I haven't heard of it until now.  This kind of supplement seems to be popping up a lot lately.  I personally don't think there's much to them.- Rob

What can you tell me about sizegenix,I looked up reviews and other possible ways to ask on the Internet if it's a scam or not and could not find any sites verifying it. Tried one time about a year ago ordered a supplement but read some reviews as the product was on its way and sent it back after finding that it was a fake from a few sites. Thank you -Jamie

I don't think it's a scam, like the ones that offer the free trials, but I don't think they're completely honest either about their celebrity endorsements or clinical studies/doctor recommendations.  There are better choices, for instance, check out VigRx Plus. It works, and they offer a 67 day money back guarantee, in case you're not satisfied.- Rob

I wanna try sizegenix pills but they started off on bad reviews -davell

I haven't tried it, but if it's promises permanent size increases, they're lying. A supplement can't provide that.- Rob

Is there really a supplement you can take to rejuvenate red blood cells? -lee

Several vitamins and mineral can increase your red blood cell production. These include: Iron, Copper, Folic Acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, and  Vitamin B6.- Rob

How to find out if Pro BCAA is duplicate. Does it have a paper packing from inside? -akram

I'm not sure about this. You'll have to contact the company or your seller directly.- Rob

Is Marine D3 a scam? -Carmen starling

Omega fatty acids are good supplements to take for overall health, joint health, and brain function support, but I don't believe their cellular rejuvenation and anti-aging claims are supported.- Rob

Author: Rob Miller

Rob Miller founded SupplementCritique.com over 7 years ago, and has been the chief editor ever since. He has a diploma in Advanced Dietary Supplements Advisor, and worked at GNC for 3 years. He KNOWS supplements, both inside and out. Rob currently resides in Jupiter, FL, with his wife of 4 years.  Learn more about him in his Bio here. Follow him on Twitter , Facebook, LinkedIn, or find him on Google +. View all posts by Rob Miller