Recently, news showed that user reviews in online shops are not always to be trusted. We found paid reviews that are not branded, an online store that removes bad reviews and username fraud. Among other things, Evy Grete Evensen got the name “Grietje N” when her slippers review was translated into Dutch. The online store HappyFlops says they do not know who is behind the name changes, but that they apologize if there has been a mistake. – Difficult to detect After news’s analysis of 250,000 user reviews was published, several freelance translators have made contact. They say that they are regularly asked to write or translate what they believe to be fake user reviews. In total, news has been in contact with ten translators who confirm this. A typical assignment might be to write a positive review of a product you have never tried, says translator Fredrik Lingås. – It is actually a direct fraud, but difficult to detect. Almost everyone reads reviews User reviews are read by many before they shop online. In a survey carried out by Norstat for news, nine out of ten under the age of 30 answer that they read such reviews. Fredrik Lingås translates, among other things, websites, user manuals, advertising and apps. He gets the jobs from an online portal where customers can get in touch. Now he has regular clients, and only takes on assignments he feels comfortable with. But five years ago he was completely fresh. Fredrik Lingås shows the program he uses when he translates. Photo: Henrik Bøe / news Princess Kate and make-up cream One of the first jobs Lingås got was to translate what he believed to be a fake article about Princess Kate in England. – It said that the entire royal house hated her because she had found the cure that made her skin glowing and beautiful, says Lingås. He translated the text and delivered it. He was then told that he also had to translate the user reviews of the product, which were at the bottom of the article. The assignment was to change the names of the people who had written the reviews. The names were to be traditional Norwegian. – Then I also had to translate the comments. To me it looked like everything was fake, except for the picture. It was perhaps taken from someone’s profile, says Lingås. When he had delivered, he got a bad feeling about the mission he had done. – In retrospect, I have naturally turned down such jobs. Measured by stars Another translator, Melissa Martinsen, understands that it can be tempting to take some shortcuts at the start of your career. Because it is not only products in online stores that are rated with stars and reviews. Melissa Martinsen is both a translator and copywriter. Photo: Henrik Bøe / news Martinsen responds quickly when news contacts her on the website Fiverr. – We are measured on everything, including how quickly we respond, she says. Fiverr is a site where you can get jobs online. You write what you can offer, for example translation of text, and receive offers of assignments. When an assignment is completed, the customer gives feedback, in the form of a review. From 1 to 5 stars, and sometimes a small text. – It is clear that customers would rather have someone who has five than four stars. It has something to say both for whether customers choose you, but also for the algorithm on the platform. If they choose to show you to new customers, says Martinsen. Facebook fraud She has worked with around 200 clients in the past year, as a translator and copywriter. Martinsen has not written or translated fake reviews herself, but estimates that she has received six such requests. One of them involved posting comments on a Facebook page that advertised outdoor equipment. Martinsen was asked to use his own profile to post pre-written Norwegian comments. – He asked if I could post five reviews on Facebook of their products. And attach a picture too, of some shoes. news has seen the inquiry and the online store. We have also seen documentation of similar inquiries other translators have received. We have chosen not to identify the online shops because several of the translators have signed an agreement not to share information about the customers. Melissa Martinsen often works from cafes. Photo: Henrik Bøe / news This is what the translators are asked to do According to the translators news has spoken to, these are some of the most common requests: Foreign online shops, often Asian, that want the entire page translated. This often includes reviews that appear to be fabricated. Requests to write positive reviews without having tried the product. Translation of articles about products, where there are reviews at the bottom of the article that do not look genuine. When reviews are translated, the client often requests that the names of those who have written the user reviews be changed to traditional Norwegian names. This is to make it look like local customers have reviewed the products. – A clear violation of the Marketing Act Deputy director of the Consumer Protection Authority, Mats Bjønnes, says it is problematic that translators and copywriters receive inquiries about helping online shops with cheating. – When so many freelance translators say the same thing, it may indicate that this has been put into a system. It is a clear violation of the Marketing Act. It is always forbidden to order fake reviews, says Bjønnes. He looks forward to the EU’s modernization directive entering into force on 1 October. Then all online shops must state how they check that those who write have actually used the product they mention. The Norwegian Consumer Protection Authority has also created a checklist that you can go through if you have doubts about whether an online store is serious.
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Fake user reviews in online shops – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
