Trustpilot has, unfortunately, become the undisputed leader in fake reviews. While it markets itself as a platform for honest, user-generated feedback, in reality, it's become a hotspot for orchestrated reputation manipulation. Trustpilot has, unfortunately, become the undisputed leader in fake reviews. While it markets itself as a platform for honest, user-generated feedback, in reality, it's become a hotspot for orchestrated reputation manipulation. This platform is not what it claims to be—a place for “genuine consumer feedback.” No. It's a façade. A broken system being exploited daily by businesses using every dirty trick in the book to manipulate ratings and curate a fake image of trust and satisfaction. And Trustpilot? They either don’t care or are willfully turning a blind eye. not Let me be clear: Trustpilot CANNOT be trusted.. Trustpilot CANNOT be trusted. Thousands of businesses exploit the platform by purchasing fake positive reviews through freelancers, agencies, or shady online services. This isn’t a rare occurrence—it’s a widespread, systemic issue. What sets Trustpilot apart (in the worst way) is how easy it is to game the system. With minimal verification and ineffective moderation, it has essentially handed businesses the tools to build a false image of credibility. easy it is to game the system Go ahead, search for any product or service on their platform. You’ll see five-star reviews glowing with praise. But scratch beneath the surface, and you’ll find something disturbing. Those reviews? A huge percentage of them are manufactured—pumped out by armies of freelancers, bots, and fake account farms from marketplaces like Fiverr and other shady corners of the internet. huge freelancers bots fake account farms Businesses literally BUY credibility now. There are entire gig industries built around “boosting your Trustpilot rating.” It’s not even a secret anymore! And what’s worse? Legit negative reviews get flagged, removed, or buried. Companies report negative feedback under vague terms like “not based on a genuine experience” or “inappropriate language,” and Trustpilot just nukes it without doing any meaningful verification. Legit negative reviews get flagged, removed, or buried. I've watched honest reviewers, including myself, get silenced simply because their truth didn’t fit the image the company wanted to project. So what you're left with is a warped reality: curated positivity that’s bought and paid for. If you're a business with money and connections, congratulations—you can easily game the system. And if you’re a consumer hoping to get an accurate read on a service or product? Good luck. easily You’re basically reading a marketing brochure at this point. Nothing more. If you're relying on Trustpilot to make informed decisions, you’re likely being misled by manufactured trust. manufactured trust And don't even get me started on how Trustpilot pitches businesses to “claim their profile” and “get more reviews.” Translation: Pay up so we can give you tools to control your public image. It’s a racket. A digital protection scheme with a thin veil of legitimacy. Meanwhile, the average consumer thinks they’re reading unfiltered truth. They think 10,000 glowing reviews must mean something. Newsflash: 9,000 of those could be fake, bought in bulk, written by people who’ve never used the service. And Trustpilot is complicit because this activity keeps their platform growing. More activity means more data, more business profiles, and more B2B marketing opportunities. They’re incentivized to look the other way. I’ve seen unethical businesses using fake reviews to bury real customer complaints. I’ve seen fly-by-night companies jump from 2.1 stars to 4.9 stars in a matter of weeks—suspicious patterns that Trustpilot refuses to address seriously. And don’t get me wrong: not every review is fake, but when there’s this much smoke, there’s absolutely fire. not every review is fake, It’s shockingly easy to get fake reviews posted on Trustpilot—and one of the worst offenders fueling this dishonest ecosystem is Fiverr.com, arguably the most notorious freelance platform for shady, unethical gigs. Fiverr.com most notorious freelance platform for shady, unethical gigs On Fiverr, within minutes, you can find freelancers openly selling services to post fake 5-star Trustpilot reviews. No vetting. No questions asked. Some even offer “bulk packages” or “drip-feed review plans” to make the activity look organic. It’s a black market for fake credibility disguised as a gig economy. openly selling services fake 5-star Trustpilot reviews If Trustpilot were serious about integrity, platforms like this wouldn’t exist—or at the very least, their impact would be negligible. But clearly, that’s not the case. The existence and popularity of sites like orderbulkreviews.com just reinforce what many already suspect: Trustpilot is not a review site; it’s a manipulated marketing tool. You don’t need a good product or great service—you just need a credit card and a vendor selling fake trust at wholesale prices. Trustpilot is not a review site; it’s a manipulated marketing tool. Trustpilot has a fundamental problem: it has zero effective safeguards against coordinated manipulation. It's naïve, broken, and totally exploitable. And if you think their “fraud detection system” is catching anything meaningful, you're kidding yourself. zero effective safeguards The Rotten Core of Trustpilot and the Review Industry The Rotten Core of Trustpilot and the Review Industry The Trustpilot fake review drama? It’s not new. And it’s definitely not rare. If you’ve worked in marketing or growth—especially in B2C—you already know the dirty truth: most review platforms are compromised. Sitejabber, Reviews.io, Feefo, WikiFX—they all play in the same space and catch the same criticism. But Trustpilot is arguably the most visible and the most abused of them all. Trustpilot Here’s the uncomfortable truth no one likes to spell out: platforms like Trustpilot are built on a conflicted business model. On one side, you have users leaving reviews—usually angry customers or incentivized fans. On the other hand, you have the companies being reviewed—the ones who actually fund the platform. conflicted business model the ones who actually fund the platform Guess which side matters more to Trustpilot’s business? It’s not the users. Trustpilot has to look neutral and transparent on the surface, but under the hood, it’s all about keeping paying clients happy. Their revenue depends on upsells, premium plans, reputation management features, and all the bells and whistles businesses can buy to shape perception. keeping paying clients happy Just look at the data: Trustpilot boasts a 103% net dollar retention rate. That means not only are businesses staying—they’re spending more every year. And why wouldn’t they? Paying clients get tools and “support” that conveniently help them maintain a polished image. more Now, to be fair—Trustpilot does have processes, and yes, it’s a publicly traded company under a constant microscope. Their site traffic is massive—over 50 million organic visits in early 2025, according to Semrush. The platform is clearly growing. But that doesn't mean it’s operating with integrity. Let’s talk about how businesses game the system—with Trustpilot’s knowledge. how businesses game the system One real example (names withheld): a company ran a “clean” Trustpilot campaign using verified emails and premium CTA widgets. But behind the curtain, the funnel was rigged. If a customer rated 4 or 5 stars, the review went straight to Trustpilot. But if they clicked 3 stars or below? They were redirected to an internal survey—never reaching the public eye. never reaching the public eye What did Trustpilot do about it? They flagged it—briefly. Then the issue was quietly dropped after the company upgraded to a higher-tier plan. briefly. That’s not an isolated case. That’s part of the playbook. Other shady practices include: You can’t remove your company profile from Trustpilot—even if you never signed up.
If you try to collect positive reviews without paying, you risk a “policy violation.”
If you’re not on a paid plan, you’re not allowed to display your Trustpilot rating on your own site.
Businesses have been told they can’t even direct customers to their Trustpilot page unless they’re paying clients. You can’t remove your company profile from Trustpilot—even if you never signed up. can’t remove your company profile If you try to collect positive reviews without paying, you risk a “policy violation.” without If you’re not on a paid plan, you’re not allowed to display your Trustpilot rating on your own site. Businesses have been told they can’t even direct customers to their Trustpilot page unless they’re paying clients. can’t even direct customers So, want good reviews? Pay up. Want a chance to challenge or suppress bad ones? Pay up. That’s the model. Enter the Fake Review Black Market Businesses desperately want positive reviews because social proof equals conversion. Especially in hyper-competitive sectors like e-commerce or fintech, reviews make or break you. Naturally, this demand gave birth to a massive fake review industry. social proof equals conversion fake review industry The Illusion of Organic Growth So, how do legit companies get all those glowing reviews? Mostly through automated follow-ups—emails after purchases, feedback requests after signups, and review requests built into product flows. Industry averages for email review requests sit around a 6–12% response rate. So, when you see a tiny, low-traffic “prop trading” firm with 500 clients and 200 glowing Trustpilot reviews? Yeah—that’s not organic. That’s boosted. Maybe by a few fake reviews, maybe by dozens. Who’s counting? that’s not organic The game is rigged, and almost everyone’s playing. Trustpilot Says It Removed 3.3 Million Fake Reviews in 2023 – But Where’s the Real Progress? Trustpilot Says It Removed 3.3 Million Fake Reviews in 2023 – But Where’s the Real Progress? Trustpilot recently announced that it removed 3.3 million fake reviews in 2023, proudly claiming it as part of its ongoing effort to maintain trust and authenticity on the platform. That sounds impressive—until you take a closer look. 3.3 million fake reviews in 2023 The figure was shared alongside a record-breaking stat: 54 million reviews published on the platform in 2023, marking a 17% increase from the previous year. At face value, it might seem like Trustpilot is taking fake reviews seriously. But the devil, as always, is in the details. 54 million reviews published on the platform in 2023 That 3.3 million accounts for just 6% of total reviews—the exact same removal rate as in 2022, despite the massive surge in overall volume. And while Trustpilot highlights that 82% of fake reviews were caught by their "sophisticated" AI, up from 68% the previous year, the real-world impact feels... underwhelming. 6% the exact same removal rate as in 2022 82% of fake reviews were caught by their "sophisticated" AI Because here’s the thing: from a user or business perspective, nothing really seems to have changed. from a user or business perspective, nothing really seems to have changed. Fake reviews are still rampant. Companies with almost no digital footprint are somehow sitting on hundreds or even thousands of glowing 5-star ratings. Review farms continue to operate in the open. Black-hat forums and shady websites still sell Trustpilot reviews like candy, and freelancers on Fiverr are more than happy to flood your profile with praise—for the right price. If Trustpilot’s AI is so advanced and their system so improved, why are these manipulations still so easy to spot by the naked eye? Why are legitimate negative reviews still being flagged and removed faster than the clearly fake ones? And why do so many businesses with questionable practices still appear as near-perfect service providers? why are these manipulations still so easy to spot by the naked eye The gap between Trustpilot’s polished PR statements and the actual state of their platform is growing. Announcing big numbers and hyping up AI sounds great in a press release, but on the ground, the integrity of their platform still feels completely compromised. the integrity of their platform still feels completely compromised Until Trustpilot starts tackling the real root of the problem—pay-to-play incentives, fake review marketplaces, and preferential treatment of paying clients—their yearly cleanup numbers are little more than digital window dressing. real root Removing 3.3 million fake reviews may sound impressive, but when you let millions more fake ones in through the front door, what’s the point? So no—I don't trust Trustpilot. Not for one second. It has become a digital smokescreen that allows businesses to buy legitimacy and suppress criticism. buy legitimacy suppress criticism Need to bury bad reviews? Just flag them. Need to jump from 2 stars to 5? Pay someone to flood your page with glowing praise. Trustpilot isn’t just allowing this behavior—it’s enabling it by design. Until there’s real transparency, real moderation, and actual vetting of reviews and reviewer legitimacy, it will continue to be the Wild West of fake feedback. Take those stars with a grain of salt—no, take the whole salt mine. You’ve been warned. whole salt mine Editor’s note: This story represents the views of the author of the story. The author is not affiliated with HackerNoon staff and wrote this story on their own. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not condone/condemn any of the claims contained herein. If you would like us to include your version of events, please email us at yes-reply@hackernoon.com. #DYOR Editor’s note: This story represents the views of the author of the story. The author is not affiliated with HackerNoon staff and wrote this story on their own. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not condone/condemn any of the claims contained herein. If you would like us to include your version of events, please email us at yes-reply@hackernoon.com. #DYOR Editor’s note: This story represents the views of the author of the story. The author is not affiliated with HackerNoon staff and wrote this story on their own. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not condone/condemn any of the claims contained herein. If you would like us to include your version of events, please email us at yes-reply@hackernoon.com Editor’s note: This story represents the views of the author of the story. The author is not affiliated with HackerNoon staff and wrote this story on their own. The HackerNoon editorial team has only verified the story for grammatical accuracy and does not condone/condemn any of the claims contained herein. If you would like us to include your version of events, please email us at yes-reply@hackernoon.com yes-reply@hackernoon.com #DYOR #DYOR

The writer was physically present in relevant location(s) to this story. The location is also a prevalent aspect of this story be it news or otherwise.

Trustpilot

The Circle - A TV Critic's Review And Descent Into Netflix Hell

InternationalDriversAssociation.com Implicated in Bizarre PR Spam Frenzy 

Read About The Technology Industry News Trends

Tech News 

Too Long; Didn't Read

Boost your HackerNoon story @ $159.99! 🚀

Trustpilot.com Is a Joke – A Playground for Fake Reviews, Shady Tactics And Scammers

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

560 Million Ticketmaster Customers Possibly Exposed In Data Breach

How AI Helps in Distinguishing Fake Reviews from Genuine Ones

Identifying Fake Reviews On Amazon

Tell Me Your Secrets: How Many Workers Review Posts on Amazon?

Leveraging Blockchain And AI To Eliminate Fake Reviews

New Trustpilot "Context Over Keywords" Policy: Between Accountability and Banality

560 Million Ticketmaster Customers Possibly Exposed In Data Breach

How AI Helps in Distinguishing Fake Reviews from Genuine Ones

Identifying Fake Reviews On Amazon

Tell Me Your Secrets: How Many Workers Review Posts on Amazon?

Leveraging Blockchain And AI To Eliminate Fake Reviews

New Trustpilot "Context Over Keywords" Policy: Between Accountability and Banality

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps