Fake Reviews Are Now Illegal in the UK: What the New Law Means for Businesses
Since April 2025, fake reviews are not just against platform rules in the UK. They are against the law. Here is what is banned, what businesses that show reviews must now do, how the CMA is enforcing it, and what it means if you are targeted by fake reviews.
Are fake reviews illegal in the UK? The short answer
Yes. Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans submitting or commissioning fake reviews, hiding that a review was incentivised, presenting reviews misleadingly and offering fake review services. Businesses that publish reviews must take reasonable steps to prevent and remove them. The CMA can investigate and fine businesses up to 10% of global turnover.
- Fake positive and negative reviews are both banned
- Hidden incentives for reviews are banned
- Review publishers have new duties
- The CMA can fine up to 10% of global turnover
The UK law that bans fake reviews
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (the DMCC Act) added new practices to the list that are always treated as unfair to consumers. These are set out in Schedule 20 to the Act, and the rules on reviews came into force on 6 April 2025. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published guidance for businesses, called Fake reviews (CMA208), in April 2025.
| Banned practice | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Submitting or commissioning fake reviews | Writing, or asking anyone to write, a review that does not reflect a genuine experience. Positive and negative fakes are both covered. |
| Hiding that a review was incentivised | Offering a discount, gift or reward for a review without the review clearly saying so. |
| Misleading presentation of reviews | Hiding negative reviews, showing only positive ones, relying on out-of-date reviews, or showing reviews of a different product. |
| Offering fake review services | Selling, arranging or facilitating banned reviews, such as review-for-reward groups or software that generates reviews. |
New duties for businesses that publish reviews
If your website, app or listings show customer reviews, you must take reasonable and proportionate steps to prevent and remove fake reviews, hidden incentivised reviews and misleading review information. The CMA expects steps such as:
- A clear, published policy banning fake reviews
- A clear approach to incentivised reviews
- Regular risk assessments
- Ways to detect suspicious reviews
- Prompt investigation of suspicious reviews
- Removing banned reviews and acting against those responsible
The bigger and riskier your review system, the more the CMA expects you to do.
How the CMA is enforcing the fake reviews ban
- April to July 2025: adjustment periodThe CMA said it would focus on supporting businesses to comply for the first three months, rather than enforcement.
- After July 2025: website reviewsThe CMA reviewed more than 100 business websites and wrote to 54 businesses it believed could be failing to comply.
- March 2026: formal investigationsThe CMA opened consumer protection investigations into five businesses over online reviews, using its new direct enforcement powers.
- PenaltiesThe CMA can now decide that consumer law has been broken without going to court first, and can fine businesses up to 10% of their global turnover.
The law vs platform rules: what is the difference?
| UK law (DMCC Act) | Platform rules | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Consumer law that applies to traders in the UK | Each platform’s own terms and content policies |
| Who enforces it | The CMA and Trading Standards | Google, Trustpilot, Glassdoor and others |
| Main consequence | Investigations and fines of up to 10% of global turnover | Review removal, warnings, listing restrictions or bans |
| Covers | Fake, hidden-incentive and misleadingly presented reviews | Often wider, such as off-topic or abusive content |
A review can break a platform’s rules without breaking the law, for example by being off-topic. And a business can break the law even if a platform has not spotted the problem.
Is your business compliant? A quick checklist
Collecting reviews
- You ask all customers, not just happy ones
- You never offer rewards without clear labelling
- Staff, family and agencies do not post reviews
- You never buy reviews or review packages
Showing reviews
- You show negative reviews as well as positive
- You do not show old reviews as if they were current
- Reviews match the product or service shown
- You have a published fake reviews policy
What the law means if fake reviews are left about you
The ban covers fake negative reviews too. If a competitor or anyone else commissions fake reviews about your business, they may be breaking the law. In practice, most businesses get the fastest results by reporting the reviews to the platform with evidence, while keeping records in case of a complaint to Trading Standards or legal action.
Read our step-by-step guide on what to do when a competitor leaves fake Google reviews. This article is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to a qualified solicitor.
Protect your business from fake reviews
United Press has helped businesses deal with unfair and fake reviews since 2001. We assess reviews for free, report and remove those that break the rules, and help you build a review profile you can be proud of.
Google review removal
Fake and rule-breaking reviews removed. Full refund if a review we take on is not removed. See remove Google reviews.
Trustpilot reviews
Fake and rule-breaking Trustpilot reviews. See remove Trustpilot reviews.
Glassdoor reviews
Employee review support. See remove Glassdoor reviews.
Reputation management
Reviews, search results and AI answers. See online reputation management.
UK fake reviews law: frequently asked questions
Are fake reviews illegal in the UK?
Yes. Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 treats submitting or commissioning fake reviews as an automatically unfair commercial practice. Fake negative reviews and fake positive reviews are both covered.
When did the UK fake reviews ban start?
The rules came into force on 6 April 2025. The CMA said it would focus on helping businesses comply for the first three months before prioritising enforcement.
What are the penalties for fake reviews in the UK?
The CMA can decide that consumer law has been broken without first going to court and can fine businesses up to 10% of their global turnover. Breaches are civil, not criminal.
Can I offer customers a discount for leaving a review?
Only if the review clearly says it was incentivised, and it must still be genuine. Hiding that a review was incentivised is banned. Many platforms also ban incentives altogether, so check their rules.
Is it illegal to hide negative reviews?
Presenting reviews in a misleading way is banned, including hiding or suppressing negative reviews and showing only positive ones. Removing reviews that genuinely break your published policy is different.
What must businesses that show reviews do?
They must take reasonable and proportionate steps to prevent and remove fake reviews and misleading review information. The CMA expects published policies, risk assessments, detection, investigation and removal.
Who enforces the fake reviews law?
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Trading Standards. The CMA reviewed more than 100 websites after the adjustment period and opened formal investigations into five businesses in March 2026.
Can United Press help with fake reviews?
Yes. We assess reviews for free and report and remove those that break platform rules, with a full refund if a review we take on is not removed. For legal questions, we recommend a qualified solicitor.
Honest reviews help everyone.
The new law protects customers who rely on reviews and businesses that earn them honestly. If you play fair, it is on your side.