Why? Because these are more trustworthy than the commercial and product descriptions, right? But why are we taking advice from “CoffeeLover92” as if they were our best friend instead of reading the manual or asking the seller?
It’s well known that the majority of internet users trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. But here’s the tricky part — while reviews are meant to guide us, not all of them tell the truth. Some are exaggerated and some are fully fake.
So what separates a reliable review from a questionable one? What makes you read something and think, “Yeah, I believe this person?”
We’re here to break that down.
Distinguishing a real review from a fake one may not require you to take an “advanced course,” but try placing yourself in the writer’s position. Would you say it that way, or would you immediately spill out what bothers you? It depends on the type of person, presumably. But we have found a few telltale signs to help you spot a fake from a real review, and below we share some of the most common ones.
Reliable reviews usually come from someone with experience. Platforms like Amazon and TripAdvisor tag these as “Verified Purchases,” meaning the reviewer actually bought or used the products. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a good filter. A verified badge is the digital equivalent of someone showing you a receipt before giving their opinion.
“In online gambling, I always double-check if the reviewer has actually played at the casino,” says Kuba Nowakowski, gambling and casino expert at KasynaOnlinePolskie.com. “If they haven’t, it’s like reviewing a restaurant by just smelling the food from outside.”
You can spot a real review by how specific it gets. Real people love details such as:
Specifics are hard to fake because they come from a place of experience. Compare that to the vague “Excellent product! Highly recommend,” which could easily come from a bot, a marketing intern, or your overly polite aunt.
“The best reviews mention the small stuff,” adds Nowakowski. “Like the exact bonus terms at a casino or how long a withdrawal took. It’s the details that build trust, not the hype.”
Real people have mixed feelings about products and services. They could like something in general but still point out what didn’t work. Reliable reviews usually sound like: “The phone camera is fantastic, but battery life could be better.” That right there is honesty.
Fake or biased reviews tend to go all-in, either “Perfect in every way” or “Worst thing ever!” Both extremes feel unnatural. As Nowakowski puts it, “If a review sounds like a press release, or a breakup letter, it’s probably not real. The truth usually sits comfortably in the middle.”
Real people don’t sound like robots because they’re imperfect. They ramble, throw in jokes, make typos, and even have an occasional rant. Meanwhile, fake reviews often sound rehearsed like: “This revolutionary product exceeded my expectations and enhanced my lifestyle.” Nobody talks like that unless they’re auditioning for an infomercial.
If a review feels too polished or repetitive, especially if multiple reviews use identical phrasing, it’s a definite red flag. It’s like walking into a room and hearing ten people chant the same compliment. Something’s definitely off.
Even the best product in the world wouldn’t match everyone’s taste. Just look around, and you don’t need to look too far. Start at your dinner table. Someone might dislike vegetables, someone doesn’t like them salty, while someone wants more seasoning. But in the end, everyone would agree that the turkey was just perfect.
The same goes for online reviews for other products. Some wouldn’t like the plug, others the color, and others the battery life. But all would agree on something genuinely good. If most reviewers completely agree on a particular thing, they must be biased.
You might think fake reviews are rare, but according to recent studies, they account for roughly 30% of all online reviews. Some are written by bots, others by paid freelancers, and some by actual customers promised discounts in exchange for positive feedback.
Platforms like Amazon, Yelp, and TripAdvisor know this is a massive problem, and they are spending millions of dollars to fight it. Amazon alone employs over 8,000 people just to remove fake reviews. TripAdvisor, in 2023, deleted more than two million inauthentic submissions.
“At KasynaOnlinePolskie, we’ve seen everything from bot-written casino reviews to people pretending to be disgruntled players,” says Nowakowski. “We use both AI tools and human checks to filter them out. But even then, it’s never perfect. You’ve got to stay vigilant.”
Unlike a simple chronological list, most sites use algorithms to sort reviews by their usefulness. Who decides? It’s largely an automated system guided by the following factors:
The trick to surviving the review jungle isn’t paranoia, but pattern recognition. When reading reviews, ask yourself the following questions:
If something feels off, it probably is. Your instinct is a better filter than you think, and you should lean on it.
Online reviews shape how we shop, book, and choose products, but not all are built on truth. This article was written to show you what makes a review genuinely reliable, from verified purchases and specific details and traceability to natural tone and balanced perspective.
We explored the red flags and uncovered the truth behind how platforms show and dispose of their reviews. Please, learn to differentiate between the real and fake ones. That’s the verdict that will ultimately help you make the right purchase decision.
Read more:
What Makes an Online Review Reliable?
