Just Eat is one of the firms under investigation as part of a crackdown on fake online reviews (Image: Getty)
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched probes into five firms as part of its crackdown on fake and misleading reviews. Autotrader, Feefo, Dignity, Just Eat, and Pasta Evangelists are the companies under consumer law investigations, the CMA said as it highlighted the importance customers place on reviews.
The CMA said in a statement: « Online reviews play a significant role in people’s decisions, influencing billions of pounds of UK spending every year. Research from Which? found that 89% of people use reviews when researching a product or service – making it essential that the information they rely on is genuine and transparent. »
In April 2025, several practices relating to online reviews became ‘banned practices’ under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act), meaning they are automatically deemed unfair and illegal. This includes obtaining and posting fake reviews, and paid-for reviews that are not clearly marked as incentivised.
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The CMA’s work is looking at the key stages in the online reviews ecosystem – from how reviews are obtained, to the way they are moderated and displayed, to the star ratings people so often rely on. By taking cases across each of these stages, the CMA is investigating multiple practices that can shape what people see when they search, shop or book online.
Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said: « Fake reviews strike at the heart of consumer trust – with many of us worrying about misleading content when looking at reviews online.
« With household budgets under pressure, people need to know they’re getting genuine information – not reviews or star-ratings that have been manipulated to push them towards the wrong choice. We’ve given businesses the time to get things right. Now we’re deploying our new powers to tackle some of the most harmful practices head on. »
What are these five businesses being investigated for?
The CMA is investigating 5 businesses to determine whether they have infringed consumer law:
- Autotrader and Feefo – Treatment of negative reviews: Whether a number of 1‑star reviews – which were moderated by Feefo – were not published on Autotrader’s platform, and were not counted towards star ratings, therefore denying consumers a fully rounded picture of other customers’ experiences.
- Dignity – Misleading reviews: Whether Dignity asked staff to write positive reviews about the company’s crematoria services – giving people a potentially inaccurate picture of genuine customers’ feedback.
- Just Eat – Star ratings: Whether Just Eat’s ratings system has inflated certain restaurants’ and grocers’ star ratings – giving consumers a potentially misleading picture of quality when choosing where to order.
- Pasta Evangelists – Discounts for reviews: Whether customers were offered discounts on future orders in exchange for leaving 5-star reviews on delivery apps, without this being disclosed – meaning people may not have known how reliable or representative those ratings were.
While the CMA is investigating these 5 businesses, it has not reached any conclusions about whether consumer law has been broken. The CMA’s work is looking at the key stages in the online reviews ecosystem – from how reviews are obtained, to the way they are moderated and displayed, to the star ratings people so often rely on.
In April 2025, several practices relating to online reviews became ‘banned practices’ under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act), meaning they are automatically deemed unfair and illegal. This includes obtaining and posting fake reviews, and paid-for reviews that are not clearly marked as incentivised. It also covers how reviews are handled – for example, if negative reviews are hidden, or if star ratings present an inaccurate picture.
The CMA will continue to engage with the companies under review to get to the bottom of its concerns. If the CMA finds an infringement of the law, it can require businesses to change their practices and impose fines of up to 10% of global turnover.
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