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Are fake testimonials illegal? I see them all over YouTube

by GoodnightSweetRatRace
8 replies
Anybody who browses YouTube regularly will have seen those comments where they claim to have made XXX amount of money followed by a shortened URL. I've just flicked through 10 or so random videos (Yes I have way too much time on my hands) and I keep seeing these comments.

I also see them on popular sites like Mens Health where they write a short testimonial followed by a referral link. Then there's Fiverr where you have the choice of hundreds (or maybe thousands) of gigs offering testimonials.

Illegal or just unethical? Is this just a common theme now in the IM industry?
#fake #illegal #testimonials #youtube
  • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
    Fraud is illegal. This is why "IM" can have a bad name.

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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    They are illegal. The FTC made a big push a couple years ago to make sure this was a known fact. They've gone after some people for it as well. Whoever does it, does so at their own risk.
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    Just when you think you've got it all figured out, someone changes the rules.

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  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    There are many illegal things happening online, a lot more than the illegal things that are happening offline.

    Now, about testimonials, I never believed that they are real. Even before working online and understanding that there are certain testimonials that are somehow real, whenever I would see testimonials somewhere I believed that these testimonials were false.

    The fact that the testimonials are false seemed to be so clear to my eyes that I wondered why some people insisted on using them.

    Then, I started working online and I saw this matter from a different angle. I would never dare to bother my customers to ask them to give me their testimonial. I don’t feel that I have the right to use them to sell more products only because they bought one of my products. I’m against asking for testimonials. And I don’t believe that they are convincing.

    However, they seem to work for many people.

    It’s really sad to see that there are people selling illusions online.


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    • Profile picture of the author Big Rob
      There seems to be an epidemic of these lately.

      I have been seeing completely blatant, non related comments to the content of the blog/video/article.

      Some canned comment like"Hey, my girlfriend made $ xxxx at home last week, check out her story shortened url"

      Puh-lease!:rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author JSProjects
    A large % of the services offered on Fiverr are, I guess, technically illegal. ("I'll do a video review of your product and say whatever you want" type of videos / services.) Youtube is littered with so many crappy video reviews of junky CB products these days. Clearly from Fiverr.
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  • Profile picture of the author ronrule
    There is a loop hole to this, we used to do it in the infomercial business. An "actor portrayal" of an actual testimonial is permitted. Showing "actor portrayal" is only required if the actor is portraying a doctor.

    So they could be valid reviews, if they are people simply hired by the company to read a testimonial that was submitted by an actual customer over email or left over the phone.

    If they just hired someone to read a "made up" testimonial then the FTC could give the smack down.
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    Ron Rule
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  • Profile picture of the author Vlad R
    From my experience, these reviews on warrior forum are legit. Usually what happens is the product creator will ask the person who reviewed the copy or gave to test the product to someone in return for their testimony video.

    Or They will post on fb to their followers something like "Hey can you guys send me an honest testimony video." Or give me a statement here. I have never heard someone tell them what to say. All these testimonies are 100% from the reviewer.
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    • Profile picture of the author KitschWitch
      Originally Posted by Vlad R View Post

      From my experience, these reviews on warrior forum are legit. Usually what happens is the product creator will ask the person who reviewed the copy or gave to test the product to someone in return for their testimony video.
      Even so, I often suspect that it's a case of "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours".
      I see it with bloggers too--there is a circle of promotion. Of course they might all genuinely believe that each other's products are great, but they would only do the testimonial if there was a reciprocal relationship.

      What's tricky is that small players don't have access to those networks (or don't think they do) and sidestep the issue by using fake testimonials.

      Either way, I agree with previous posters--I don't give much weight to testimonials or reviews.

      The exception is if they are balanced--the equivalent of the 3 star review, offering good and bad points. A 3 star review is much more likely to convince me to buy than a 5 star review.
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