Fake reviews are a serious problem on Amazon. And it's especially bad among tech products, where many different companies sometimes sell essentially the same gadget with different branding.
"Suppose you want to buy a dashcam," Broida said. "There are a zillion similar or even identical dashcams out there, and sellers try to game the system by putting up fake reviews."
Thankfully, there are tools which can help vet the reviews and detect ones that are likely fake. Fakespot and ReviewMeta will let you know the percentage of questionable reviews written for a given product, which can help you make a more informed decision.
"Just because a product has fake reviews, that doesn't mean it's a bad product," Broida said.
If a product has hundreds of reviews, for examples, then fake ones are less worrisome. But if a product has just a few dozen reviews, then a bunch of fakes might give you pause.