Tips on how to spot fake online reviews

Following the recent news that Amazon has filed a law suit against more than a thousand fake reviewers on their site, we have taken a look at the best way to suss the real reviews from the false.

Amazon claims their its has been damaged as a result of a slew of 'false, misleading and inauthentic reviews', the BBC reports.

The online retailer claims fake reviews have been offered for $5 on Fiverr.com.

In their complaint the company said: "While small in number, these reviews can significantly undermine the trust that consumers and the vast majority of sellers and manufacturers place in Amazon, which in turn tarnishes Amazon's brand."

HuffPost Live Highlights spoke to Chris Morran, Deputy Editor at Consumerist.com, he said: "We're barely in the adolescence of the crowd-sourced review culture, it's going to change."

"The problem is just that there are so many millions of people out there doing this all at the same time, it's impossible financially for a company the size of Amazon or Yelp to actively have human beings placing the reviews."

He added: "Ten years from now the online review process will be very different from how it is now."

So, how can you be sure what you're reading is the real thing and not something someone has been paid to write?

Instead of relying on the reviews on the product page, why not head to Facebook and Twitter to see if anyone already has the product you're thinking of buying.

Another easy and reliable way to find out more is to ask friends and family members if they know anything about these products, or whether they've heard anything from anyone else.

This way you can make an informed decision based on what you've heard from friends and what you've read online.

Another piece of advice offered by Chris Morran is to never read star ratings or letter grades - you should always read the actual review all the way through.

If you see a really positive review, click on the reviewer's profile to see what else they have reviewed and see if they use similar terms and phrases and if they've review everything else with a five-stars too

Jacob Demmitt, technology reporter with Geek Wire, advises looking at the reviews that have been give 2, 3 or 4 stars rather than those opting for a one or five star rating. He says you're more likely to find honest reviews in these areas because you're not dealing with the people who have gone on their solely to complain about a product or promote it.

More on AOL Money:

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