23 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
23 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Fake Reviews, Fake Awards, Fake Staff, Fake Addresses -Oh Dear!

by Graham Maddison
19 replies
I have just been watching BBC One -The One Show (you can watch it on BBC iPlayer NOW)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01rjzcc/The_One_Show_27_03_2013/

The One Show exposed website "Clever Owl" for using Fake Reviews, Fake Awards, Fake Staff, Fake Addresses.

the website owner claimed his intention was not to deceive his website visitors/customers, but to improve his website ranking on google.

The Not So Clever Owl even advertised to pay people for doing a review.

I wonder how many others in IM are using this tactic?

how far would you go to get your website on page 1 ?
#addresses #awards #dear #fake #reviews #staff
  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    Did the site have a disclaimer? The explanation given by the owner seems suspect.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7905839].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Graham Maddison
      Originally Posted by writeaway View Post

      Did the site have a disclaimer? The explanation given by the owner seems suspect.
      You need to watch the program ....towards the end of the program ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...ow_27_03_2013/ ) ...I have not visited the website, but I think the website owner got off lightly ....so far!!
      Signature
      Trade without Boundaries.
      Start with $30 Trading Bonus.
      No Deposit Required
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7905862].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Anonymous Affiliate
    Fake stuff happens also in the offline world. Example: published authors who hire a ghost writer to do the job, and then they simply sign the book and stamp their photo in the back cover. Isnt that also "fake"? Heck, even Leonardo DaVinci was "faking" some of his paintings (taking as his paintings from his students).
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7905848].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author writeaway
      Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate View Post

      Fake stuff happens also in the offline world. Example: published authors who hire a ghost writer to do the job, and then they simply sign the book and stamp their photo in the back cover. Isnt that also "fake"? Heck, even Leonardo DaVinci was "faking" some of his paintings (taking as his paintings from his students).
      Interesting analysis.
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7906363].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author kurttasche
    Sadly, this has become all too common. You can pay someone $5 on Fiverr to do a fake review/testimonial for you. It's difficult to believe reviews nowadays.
    Signature
    $CASH$ in Your Pocket!
    Get Your FREE Position in Our Nitroline for a Product ALL Marketers NEED!!!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7906778].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author goindeep
      If you do fake reviews and fake testimonials your a scum bag in my book.

      If you ghost write thats perfectly fine, if you make yourself out via wording and other things to be a bigger company then you are thats also fine in my book, personally I wouldnt do it as its just tacky but heaps of people have done it and its part of their psychological strategy.

      In fact famous Australian PJ designer Peter Alexander has said on a TV program he and his mum used to pretend to be the "accounts department" and the "logistics" people in their startup and they would put on different voices and things when they where just working out of their garage.

      I was watching some YT videos recently on web startups and the two nerds that built redditwhere admitting to making fake accounts just to make the site look full of people and chatter.

      Now thats a grey area to me. Personally I wouldnt do it but is it really illegal or immoral? Is anyone getting hurt? Probably not.
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7906848].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Graham Maddison
      Originally Posted by kurttasche View Post

      Sadly, this has become all too common. You can pay someone $5 on Fiverr to do a fake review/testimonial for you. It's difficult to believe reviews nowadays.
      When interviewed, he was asked how much he paid for a review ...his answer $5
      Signature
      Trade without Boundaries.
      Start with $30 Trading Bonus.
      No Deposit Required
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7907191].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Walter Parrish
        Greed makes people do a lot of stupid things. I knew of a few folks who were using fivver for fake reviews. The interesting thing is these type of people seem to have some pretty warped beliefs as far as the world is concerned.
        Signature
        Use Feeder Sites, Articles, And Social Media Sites To Generate Unstoppable Traffic, FREE! Click Here Now To Get It For FREE
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7907242].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sparkah
    i don't know of a SINGLE successful business man who doesn't believe in

    "fake it till you make it"

    BUT they also believe in:

    "be smart enough not to get caught"
    Signature

    I'm a writer for Forbes and Fast Company.
    Also, I did this: My deepest darkest SEO SECRETS --- https://youtu.be/vl3tswPLJWM

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7906836].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author ExRat
      Hi sparkah,

      Originally Posted by sparkah View Post

      i don't know of a SINGLE successful business man who doesn't believe in

      "fake it till you make it"

      BUT they also believe in:

      "be smart enough not to get caught"
      I'm not that successful yet, but when I am, you should get to know me so that I can break your rule. I'd rather fail than 'fake it to till you make it' because it would lead me to doing something productive with my time that I was suited to, instead of faking it at something that I am not suited to.

      I seriously don't understand how anyone can live with themselves spending their whole life faking it - what a tedious waste of a life, when it is so easy instead to do something really well that they are suited to and can possibly excel at.
      Signature


      Roger Davis
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7910441].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author danstairs
        I remember years ago, when I bought the Rich Jerks programme and something like Ultimate Wealth etc, that the first thing I did "Just to get you started" was to put up a ready made review squeeze page website. This heartily endorsed the product I had just bought and I hadn't even gone through it. I did need a scrub down with carbolic afterwards, I must admit, but as my Uncle Joe used to say, money talks and s**t walks.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7910695].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author thedanbrown
    Ya fiverr is notorious for getting reviews done. All too common in internet marketing
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7906844].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    Wasn't there a post earlier on FTC moves against this type of thing?
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7906929].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    It’s easy to mislead the public online. Many people do that all the time.

    Forum owners without traffic pay the users to post and pretend that they are regular visitors. Blogs are visited by the blog owner’s friends, who post nice comments. Reciprocity is an invisible law. All bloggers visit their friends’ blogs and post nice comments.

    You cannot verify what is authentic or false.

    Signature
    Join my Affiliate Program and Sell Original eBooks
    Scientific Dream Interpretation – A Solution to All Problems

    How to Be Extremely Successful in Life
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7907381].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author writeaway
      Originally Posted by clever7 View Post

      It's easy to mislead the public online. Many people do that all the time.

      Forum owners without traffic pay the users to post and pretend that they are regular visitors. Blogs are visited by the blog owner's friends, who post nice comments. Reciprocity is an invisible law. All bloggers visit their friends' blogs and post nice comments.

      You cannot verify what is authentic or false.
      Isn't there a fine line somewhere between 'boosting' a site and outright fraud?
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7910169].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author fpdeziner
    i don't know of a SINGLE successful business man who doesn't believe in

    "fake it till you make it"

    BUT they also believe in:

    "be smart enough not to get caught"
    you are absolutely right!

    you will see it almost everywhere
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7907397].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author alistair
    There's plenty of people using these tactics.

    Yes he went too far using fake addresses and fake reviews but at least he had the balls to get in front of the camera and admit he was wrong in what he did. Personally I think he was more naive than anything. I did laugh a bit though when he was presented with the One Show Online Fakery Award and seemed to go to shake the presenters hand.

    The actor he paid $5 to is off of Fiverr and I've bought his voiceover gigs before and does a top job, but I've never bought a fake review because it's just deceiptful, although I can't say I haven't thought about buying a few for Amazon reviews in the past. There are so many sellers on Fiverr offering these fake review gigs I wouldn't be surprised if something isn't done about it, and I could see some of these sellers who do video reviews ending up in hot water eventually one way or the other.

    I wonder how many big celebrities that can get paid millions to endorse certain products or brands actually really use them?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7910389].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Charles AK
    I don't get that fave review stuff, but I think as a small business owner you got to slap some sort of virtual adress on your sites, and whois gaurd, if you ever go on forums besides internet marketing and someone don't like you they can backtrace you and find everything about you by using google, including the occasional troll calling up your house and threatening you over the phone, had it happen a few times.

    In my younger days I would set on the phone an argue with them for kicks, but now that I got a family I can't cater to those trolls.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7910832].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    Isn't there a fine line somewhere between 'boosting' a site and outright fraud?


    What are you talking about?

    If the intention to boost a side can justify whatever you may do to achieve this goal, this means that all the fake presentations of the clever owl should be considered to be an ‘inoffensive fraud’.
    Signature
    Join my Affiliate Program and Sell Original eBooks
    Scientific Dream Interpretation – A Solution to All Problems

    How to Be Extremely Successful in Life
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7911147].message }}

Trending Topics