Businesses apologise after consumer watchdog uncovers fake review operation: 'We regret our conduct'
Multiple Singaporean businesses have issued public apologies after a consumer watchdog investigation revealed they purchased fake reviews. The operation, run by a digital marketing firm, utilized AI-generated content and paid reviewers to manipulate ratings.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing regulatory crackdown on digital deception and the integrity of online review platforms in the age of AI.
Seeing apology notices from businesses on social media?
Several companies have issued public apologies on social media following an investigation which revealed that about 100 businesses had procured fake positive reviews to be posted on review platforms.
On Wednesday (Sept 30), the businesses acknowledged that fake reviews could mislead consumers and undermine their ability to make informed purchasing decisions.
"We regret our conduct and have taken corrective measures to remove the fake reviews and prevent such conduct from recurring," the businesses said.
Among them were Burma Social, Harmony Funeral Care, Picasso Hair Boutique and The Hamper Story, which acknowledged that procuring fake reviews was an unfair practice under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in