Singapore’s competition watchdog has taken action against a fake-review provider and 45 businesses that admitted buying fabricated online endorsements. The investigation, announced on 30 September 2026, is the commission’s largest fake-review probe by number of businesses involved. It shows why a high star rating, even when supported by polished and locally specific comments, should not be treated as proof that a business is reliable.
The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore, referred to as CCS in the announcement, found that two websites operated by digital marketing firm Reputifly had supplied fake reviews to about 100 businesses. The service used generative artificial intelligence to write plausible customer stories, recruited people through Telegram to post them, and provided tools that helped clients calculate how many five-star reviews they needed to reach a desired Google rating.
For consumers, the lesson is not to distrust every review. It is to stop relying on the average score alone. Read the review history, compare several platforms, check whether the business exists and holds any licence it needs, and look for evidence that comes from somewhere other than the business’s own marketing.
What Singapore’s Fake Review Investigation Found
According to reports by CNA and The Straits Times, Reputifly’s sole director, Julian Tung Yan Kai, operated BuyReviewSG and GetReviewSG. The services began in or before 2023 and eventually served about 100 businesses.
Because of the scale, CCS divided its investigation into two phases. The first covered 47 businesses. Forty-five admitted purchasing fake reviews and gave undertakings to stop the practice. They must identify and remove fabricated reviews, report their progress to CCS, strengthen their compliance measures and display a prominent public apology for six months on their websites, official social media accounts and at physical premises or outlets.
Two businesses declined to give undertakings on the commission’s required terms. CCS said its investigations into them would continue and that firmer enforcement action could follow if supported by the evidence. A second phase will cover remaining businesses and others that may have bought reviews from the provider.
Reputifly admitted aiding and abetting unfair practices. It undertook to stop offering fake-review services, publish a six-month apology on its website and donate the proceeds from those services to a registered charity without claiming a related tax deduction. CCS also invited other providers and businesses that had used such services to come forward before formal investigations begin.
How the Fake Review Operation Worked
This was not a matter of one employee asking friends to leave a few generous ratings. It was a commercial service designed to manufacture credibility at scale.
Businesses could buy packages of reviews that would appear at intervals rather than all at once. CNA reported that one BuyReviewSG package offered 35 five-star reviews over seven days for S$219. A rating calculator showed clients how many five-star posts they would need to lift their Google score to a chosen level. The service also offered to replace some reviews removed by Google.
Generative AI produced the review text. Instead of repeating a single template, the system varied sentence structure and writing style, added Singapore details and inserted small imperfections. Clients could edit the wording before publication. A dashboard later allowed the provider to generate, manage and track reviews, drawing details from existing four- and five-star Google reviews to create new endorsements that appeared relevant to the business.
Some reviews reportedly described initial doubts before ending with praise. That detail matters because it imitates the shape of a balanced, credible account. A comment such as “I was hesitant at first, but the staff resolved everything” may feel more trustworthy than unqualified enthusiasm, even when no transaction took place.
The provider used Telegram channels and accounts to recruit posters and offered payment for using their profiles. Reviews appeared across Google, Facebook, Tripadvisor, Carousell, Yelp and Trustpilot. Posters were told to avoid duplicate wording, making simple keyword detection less effective.
Why Fake Reviews Harm Consumers and Honest Businesses
Online reviews affect decisions involving far more than meals or inexpensive purchases. The businesses identified in the first phase operated across medical services, legal services, beauty, funeral care, private investigation, home renovation, automotive services, hospitality and education, among other sectors. A manipulated rating can influence a decision involving health, substantial fees or a family in distress.
A consumer may choose a provider because dozens of apparent customers describe smooth service, attentive staff or reliable results. If those people were paid to post AI-written text, the consumer is comparing businesses using invented evidence. A genuine four-star provider can lose business to a competitor whose five-star score was purchased.
CCS said false reviews can make a business, product or service look more popular or positively received than it really is. Under Singapore’s Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, posting or buying false reviews to deceive or mislead consumers is an unfair practice. CNA reported that where a court finds a supplier has engaged in an unfair practice, available consequences can include restitution or damages, among other orders.
The damage also reaches genuine reviewers. When platforms fill with manufactured praise, useful customer accounts become harder to find. Consumers either place trust in false signals or abandon reviews entirely, penalising businesses that earned positive feedback legitimately.
How to Spot Possible AI-Generated or Paid Reviews
No single clue proves that a review is fake. A new account can belong to a real first-time reviewer, and an enthusiastic comment can describe a genuinely good experience. Look for clusters of signals across the listing rather than accusing an individual reviewer based on writing style alone.
1. Check the timing, not only the rating
Open the newest reviews and look at their dates. A sudden burst of five-star ratings within days, especially after a period of little activity, deserves closer examination. CNA observed one instance in which three five-star reviews appeared within ten minutes from different accounts. A paid campaign may be scheduled to raise the score quickly or to dilute recent criticism.
2. Read the reviewer’s wider history
Tap the reviewer’s profile where the platform allows it. Warning signs include little or no history, many reviews posted within a short period, or endorsements for unrelated businesses in distant locations. Some sellers seek established accounts or people with higher “local guide” levels because those profiles appear more credible, so a long history is useful context but not a guarantee.
3. Look for detail that can be verified
Genuine reviews often mention a particular item, appointment, branch, delivery issue or interaction. Fake text may be polished but vague: “excellent professionalism”, “seamless experience” or “highly recommended” without saying what happened. AI can add specific details, however, which is why detail should be checked against the business’s actual services rather than accepted automatically.
4. Notice repeated narratives and brand-heavy wording
Several reviews may use different sentences but follow the same storyline: initial hesitation, quick reassurance, flawless service and a strong recommendation. Repeated use of the full business name can also indicate search-optimised copy rather than natural feedback. Read ten or twenty reviews together; patterns are easier to see in a group.
5. Compare praise with lower-rated accounts
Sort by newest, then read two-, three- and four-star reviews. Mid-range reviews often describe both strengths and weaknesses and can reveal recurring operational issues. A listing where glowing reviews say the same thing while detailed lower-rated reviews describe consistent problems deserves more checking.
6. Compare different platforms
Look at Google, Facebook, Carousell, Tripadvisor or an industry-specific platform where relevant. A perfect rating on one site alongside a very different pattern elsewhere does not automatically prove manipulation, but it is a reason to investigate before paying.
How to Verify a Singapore Business Beyond Its Reviews
Start with the legal entity. Search ACRA’s Bizfile records or a business-verification platform to confirm the registered name and UEN. Make sure the name receiving payment matches the business you researched, particularly for large deposits, renovation contracts, tuition packages or professional services.
Check the regulator for licensed activity. For financial services, use the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Financial Institutions Directory. For healthcare professionals, use the relevant professional register. For travel agents, maid agencies or other regulated services, verify the applicable government licence rather than relying on a badge shown on the company website.
Review the company’s own contact details across its official website, invoices and ACRA-linked information. Call a publicly listed number if a salesperson asks you to transfer funds to a different entity or personal account. Search the company name with terms such as “complaint”, “refund” and “warning”, but assess each result carefully; negative reviews can also be fabricated as part of an extortion attempt.
For a high-value purchase, ask for a written quotation, cancellation terms, warranty details and the legal entity responsible for the contract. Pay by a method that provides a clear record. Star ratings are useful for discovery, but contracts and verified credentials are what protect you when something goes wrong.
What Consumers Should Do About a Suspicious Review
Use the platform’s reporting function if a review appears to violate rules on fake engagement or conflicts of interest. Include the clearest reason available, such as a cluster of duplicate narratives or a reviewer promoting unrelated businesses in an implausible pattern. Do not harass the reviewer or publish personal information.
If you bought something after being misled and cannot resolve the matter directly, keep screenshots of the listing and reviews, advertisements, invoices, messages and payment records. Contact the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) for consumer-dispute guidance. Where the conduct may amount to an unfair trade practice, consumers can also consult information published by CCS and its public register.
If the transaction involves suspected fraud, impersonation or a request to transfer more money, contact your bank immediately and call the 24-hour ScamShield Helpline at 1799 for guidance. A misleading review and a payment scam are different issues, but they can appear in the same customer journey.
What Singapore Businesses Should Do
Do not buy reviews, offer undisclosed rewards for positive ratings or allow a marketing agency to do so on your behalf. Calling the work “reputation management” does not change what it is. Ask vendors to explain how reviews are obtained, prohibit fabricated or incentivised endorsements in writing, and retain approval rights over campaigns carried out in your name.
If your business previously used a questionable service, identify the affected platforms, preserve the records and obtain legal or compliance advice. Removing evidence without understanding your obligations can create further problems. CCS has said that businesses and providers that come forward before formal investigations begin may have their cooperation viewed favourably; the commission provided go.gov.sg/ccsresponse for information.
Build genuine review volume through neutral requests sent to actual customers after a transaction. Ask for honest feedback rather than a five-star rating. Do not filter invitations so only satisfied customers receive them, and disclose incentives if a platform permits incentivised reviews. Respond to criticism with facts and a proposed remedy instead of trying to bury it under purchased praise.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Trusting the average score: A 4.9 rating says little without the dates, review content and profile histories behind it.
- Assuming awkward grammar means fake: AI can produce polished prose, while genuine customers may write briefly or imperfectly.
- Believing every detailed story: Reputifly reportedly used AI and existing reviews to add realistic Singapore-specific details.
- Checking only one platform: Manipulation may be concentrated where a business gains the most visibility.
- Accusing reviewers publicly without proof: Report suspicious patterns to the platform and preserve evidence instead.
- Using negative reviews alone as proof: Competitors and extortionists can fabricate criticism too. Verify independently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are fake online reviews illegal in Singapore?
Buying or posting false reviews to deceive or mislead consumers can be an unfair practice under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. The exact legal consequences depend on the facts and the enforcement or court process.
Which platforms carried the fabricated reviews in this investigation?
CCS said reviews were posted on platforms including Google, Facebook, Tripadvisor, Carousell, Yelp and Trustpilot.
Can AI-written reviews be detected reliably?
Not from wording alone. AI can vary style, add local detail and imitate balanced experiences. Timing patterns, reviewer histories, cross-platform differences and independent business checks are more useful than trying to identify an “AI tone”.
Were all 100 businesses found liable?
No. The reports said the provider served about 100 businesses and that the investigation is proceeding in phases. In phase one, 45 businesses admitted purchasing fake reviews and gave undertakings, while two others declined the requested undertakings and remain under investigation.
What should I do before paying a highly rated business?
Confirm its registered entity and UEN, check any required professional or sector licence, compare reviews across platforms, obtain written terms and make sure the payment recipient matches the contracted business.
Can a business ask genuine customers for reviews?
Yes. A business can invite actual customers to leave honest feedback, subject to the platform’s rules. The problem is fabricating experiences, paying people who were not customers or hiding incentives intended to produce misleading endorsements.
Where can I report a fake review?
Report it to the platform where it appears. Consumers with a dispute can approach CASE, while businesses or providers with relevant information about the CCS investigation can use the commission’s published response channel.
Reviews Are a Lead, Not Proof
The Reputifly investigation exposed an organised system for turning AI-written text and paid accounts into apparent customer trust. Its scale matters, but the practical lesson is simple: a polished five-star review can be manufactured as easily as an advertisement.
Use reviews to identify questions, not to answer all of them. Verify the business entity, check licences, compare independent sources and read the pattern behind the score. If the purchase is expensive or sensitive, a few extra checks are worth more than hundreds of stars.