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Fake reviewers boost clicks on fake goods and other products
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THE more good customer reviews, the better the product quality — that’s the axiom in business and it’s very important in online shopping.
However, good reviews, high rankings and lots of clicks can easily be bought and they are.
The phenomenon has been around for years and is known as the water army (shui jun) whose paid soldiers “pour” on clicks, flattering reviews and anything else desired.
On Taobao.com, China’s largest online shopping platform, good reviews sometimes have nothing to do with product quality. They are trick played by cunning shop owners.
With the rapid development of online shopping, “good reviews professionals” earn money by increasing the clicks and faking good reviews for the shops that hire them. They have long been a part of the online shopping industry.
According to a Beijing News undercover investigation, if a product sells from 0.1 yuan to 30 yuan (US$4.80), the professional charge 1.8-yuan commission for each good review. The commission soars to 8 yuan if a product costs 200-300 yuan. Above 300 yuan, the charge increases by 2 yuan per each 100 yuan.
Before they start working, each “good review professional” receives around three hours in training. They learn to use Alipay, a popular online payment system used on Taobao. They learn how to correctly browse a webpage, increase shop clips and make valid-looking fake reviews.
A professional usually fakes a purchase. If a product is 85 yuan, he or she buys it (money to be returned later). After the professional confirms receipt of the goods (not delivered, of course), he or she can earn a commission of 3.25 yuan commission. For a five-star review with at least 20 words, they can earn another 2 yuan.
A legendary “model worker” in the industry is said to earn 300 yuan a day through reviews.
“It’s possible to earn 100,000 yuan a month if you work hard,” an insider told the Beijing News reporter.
To crack down on the “good review profession,” Taobao regularly uses a screening system to inspect its shops. Any unusual purchase is flagged for investigation. If a shop is found to hire reviewers, it will first be warned, then fined, then possibly closed.
To escape detection, each professional is required to shop no more than four times a week, seven times a month, or 35 times in six months.
“If you buy too many things at one time, you can easily be spotted,” the insider said.
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