Fake Trustpilot reviews: how to spot and report them
Are Trustpilot reviews fake? Some are, and Trustpilot publishes how many it removes each year. This guide gives the figures, explains how detection works, and shows how to report a fake review, whether you run the business or you are a reader who spotted one. For a business, we remove the fake 1-star reviews that break Trustpilot's rules, and you pay per removal.
By James Tumbucon. Published · Updated . Reviewed against Trustpilot’s guidelines on
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Short answer
Trustpilot defines a fake review as one that does not reflect a genuine service or buying experience. It says it removed 4.5 million fake reviews in 2024, 7.4% of all reviews written, and caught 90% of them automatically. A business reports a suspected fake by using Request information and then flagging the review as not based on a genuine experience. A consumer can flag any review or use the whistleblower function. A flag needs a fact that shows the reviewer was not eligible. "We cannot find this customer" is not enough.
Key facts
Trustpilot says it removed 4.5 million fake reviews in 2024, which was 7.4% of the 61 million reviews written that year.
Source: Trust Report 2025, Trustpilot
Trustpilot says 90% of the fake reviews it removed in 2024 were detected automatically.
Source: Trust Report 2025, Trustpilot
Trustpilot defines a fake review as one that does not reflect a genuine service or buying experience, whether it is positive or negative.
Source: Action We Take, Trustpilot
A business reports a suspected fake through the flagging reason 'not based on a genuine experience', and must use the Request information tool first.
Source: How to flag service reviews from your business account, Trustpilot Help Center
A business cannot use that flagging reason for a customer it invited, and Trustpilot generally does not check it for reviews older than a year.
Source: For which reasons can businesses flag service reviews?, Trustpilot Help Center
What Trustpilot counts as fake
Trustpilot's Action We Take policy defines fake reviews as reviews that "don't reflect a genuine service or buying experience with a business". It adds that they are written to mislead, positively or negatively. It gives three examples:
- reviews gathered from illegitimate sources such as review sellers
- reviews written to manipulate a TrustScore and not to share an experience
- reviews gathered through biased or manipulated invitation methods
The third example surprises many businesses. A real customer's 5-star review can be treated as part of a fake pattern if the business only invited happy customers. Our guide to invitation rules explains the line.
A harsh review is not a fake review. Neither is an unfair one. If the person had a real experience with you, Trustpilot treats the review as genuine. Our guide to what Trustpilot will and will not remove has both lists.
How many fake reviews there are
Trustpilot publishes figures each year. These are from its Trust Report 2025, which covers 2024.
| Figure for 2024 | Number |
|---|---|
| Reviews written | 61 million |
| Fake reviews removed | 4.5 million, or 7.4% |
| Share of fake reviews detected automatically | 90% |
| Reviews flagged by businesses | 601 thousand |
| Reviews flagged by consumers | 92 thousand |
Two limits apply. The figures are Trustpilot's own and cannot be checked from outside. And a count of fakes removed says nothing about fakes that were missed.
How Trustpilot detects them
Trustpilot says its automated detection technology analyzes every review. New reviews are checked before they appear, and published reviews are monitored. The system scans a wide range of data points. Trustpilot names review content, IP addresses, device characteristics and location data.
When the technology finds an unusual pattern, the review is kept offline or moved offline. The reviewer is told by email and can challenge the decision. Trustpilot says it moves reviews offline and does not delete them, so a review can be reinstated.
Trustpilot also says paying businesses get no special treatment. The technology does not consider whether a business has a paid plan.
People are the second layer. Flags from businesses and consumers go to the Content Integrity Team, and a whistleblower function takes reports of wider misuse.
How a business reports a fake review
A suspected fake goes through the flagging reason "not based on a genuine experience". Trustpilot sets conditions on it.
- Check the two blocks first. You cannot use this reason for a customer you invited. And Trustpilot generally does not check it for reviews posted more than a year ago.
- Capture the review. Screenshot, link, date, star rating, label and the reviewer's public profile.
- Use Request information. Trustpilot requires this step before the flag. The reviewer has 3 days to reply with details that identify their experience.
- Write down the fact. One sentence that shows the reviewer was not eligible. Examples are below.
- Flag once, with one reason. A flag cannot be edited after you send it.
- Record the decision. If Trustpilot keeps the review, you can appeal once. Do not flag it again.
Our guide on how to document a fake review has the case log format, and the flag evidence checklist puts it on one sheet. If the fake sits on your Google profile instead, see our guide to reporting and removing a fake Google review.
What proof works, and what does not
| Works | Does not work |
|---|---|
| The review describes a product, a price or a location you have never had | "We cannot find this person in our system" |
| The reviewer is a current employee, an owner, a family member or a competitor, and you can state how you know | "This customer is lying" |
| The reviewer says the experience happened to someone else | "The review is too vague" |
| The same text appears on several profiles or under several names | "We have never had a complaint like this" |
| The reviewer's reply to Request information shows the experience was with another firm | A guess about who is behind it |
Trustpilot's page on who can write a review explains why the right-hand column fails. A purchase is not required. A person who phoned, chatted or started an order has had an experience.
Health brands have one more limit. The proof cannot contain health information. State that no account, order or ticket matches the name and date. Do not attach records. Our telehealth page covers this in detail.
How a consumer reports a fake review
Anyone can flag a review with the flag icon next to it. Trustpilot's detection article also points to a whistleblower function for wider problems, such as a business that buys reviews or pays for edits. In 2024 consumers flagged 92 thousand reviews.
When the fake reviews come in a wave
A burst of 1-star reviews from people who never ordered is a different problem from a single fake. Flagging all of them in one day can itself look like misuse of the flagging tool. Our guide on what to do when your brand is review-bombed covers the order of steps.
Fake reviews and the law
The FTC's rule on consumer reviews bans writing, selling and buying fake reviews, with penalties of up to $53,088 per violation. It applies to fake negative reviews as well as fake positive ones. It does not give a business a right to have a review removed. Removal is still Trustpilot's decision under its own guidelines.
If a fake review also makes a false statement of fact that causes serious harm, defamation law may apply. Our page on flagging or a lawyer explains when that route makes sense.
Where we fit
We read every 1-star and 2-star review on a health brand's profile and sort them into two lists. One holds the reviews that can be flagged, each with its reason and the fact that supports it. The other holds the real complaints. The main Trustpilot review removal page explains the method, and the free audit shows both lists for your profile.
If you wonder how far to trust the platform itself, read how legit Trustpilot is, and its limits.
This is the work behind our Trustpilot review removal service. You pay per removal, and the three packs and their prices are public.
Frequently asked questions
Most are not, by Trustpilot's own count. It says it removed 4.5 million fake reviews in 2024, 7.4% of the reviews written that year, and that 90% were caught by automated detection. Those are Trustpilot's figures and nobody outside can audit them. Source: Trust Report 2025.
Log in to your Trustpilot Business account, find the review and use Request information first. The reviewer has 3 days to respond. After that you can flag the review as not based on a genuine experience and state the fact that shows it. Source: how to flag service reviews.
Use the flag icon on the review, or Trustpilot's whistleblower function for wider misuse such as a business that buys reviews. Trustpilot says it investigates and takes action. Source: automated detection technology.
From the text alone you often cannot, and Trustpilot says the same. Some signs deserve a closer look. Details that match no product you sell. Wording repeated across reviews. A burst of reviews in one day. A reviewer profile full of reviews of rival firms. A flag needs a fact, not a feeling.
Because a purchase is not needed to review. Trustpilot counts a call, a chat or a visit to your site as an experience. 'Not in our records' does not show that a review is fake. Source: who can write a review.
Yes. Trustpilot takes fake reviews offline whoever they favor. If it suspects the business procured them, it can warn the business and place a Consumer Warning. See our guide on buying Trustpilot reviews.
No. Trustpilot's guidelines say fake reviews are not allowed and will be removed, and its detection technology checks every review before it appears. In the US, the FTC's rule also bans writing, selling and buying fake reviews. Sources: Guidelines for Reviewers and 16 CFR Part 465.
Trustpilot is an open platform, so anyone with an experience can post, and it removes fake reviews after the fact. It says it removed 4.5 million in 2024 and caught 90% of them automatically. It treats paying and non-paying businesses the same. Those are Trustpilot's own statements. Read any profile with its labels and notices in mind. Source: Trust Report 2025.
Primary sources used on this page
- Action We Take. TrustpilotLast verified
- Trust Report 2025. TrustpilotLast verified
- Trustpilot's automated detection technology. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- For which reasons can businesses flag service reviews?. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- How to flag service reviews from your business account. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- How can I appeal a decision made by the Content Integrity Team?. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- Who can write a review and when?. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- 16 CFR Part 465: Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials. Electronic Code of Federal RegulationsLast verified
- FTC Publishes Inflation-Adjusted Civil Penalty Amounts for 2025. Federal Trade CommissionLast verified
- Guidelines for Reviewers. TrustpilotLast verified