SINGAPORE: The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) said in a statement on Thursday (July 3) that the owner of a car detailing business admitted that it posted fake five-star reviews on its business page on the car buying and selling platform Sgcarmart.com.
Since January this year, CCCS has been investigating Quantum Globe Pte. Ltd, which owns and operates the Lambency Detailing brand. The probe was launched after a customer of Lambency Detailing found unauthorised reviews posted in her name on Sgcarmart.
In the course of its investigation, CCCS found fake reviews posted without the consent of seven other customers whose names, vehicle registration numbers and vehicles’ photographs appeared in the posts.
After CCCS confronted the company with the evidence, Quantum Globe admitted that it submitted five-star customer reviews that contained information from their former customers without their knowledge or consent. The reviews were submitted through a QR code provided by Sgcarmart.com, which lets users share feedback regarding businesses even if they have no accounts with Sgcarmart, Facebook, or Google.
CCCS added that Quantum Globe also admitted to using ChatGPT to generate customised review content based on services provided to the customers.
“The posting of fake customer reviews by a business in relation to a consumer transaction is an unfair trade practice, as consumers might be misled into thinking that the product is more well-received than it actually is, and thus make misinformed purchase decisions,” CCCS said in its statement.
Quantum Globe has said it will stop posting fake reviews and set up a feedback channel for six months to allow customers to report any fake reviews on Sgcarmart. It will also notify customers whose information was used in reviews posted by Quantum Globe between October 2024 and January 2025, inviting them to report any fake reviews through the feedback channel.
For six months, the company will also publish notices on Sgcarmart and any online platforms used for marketing Lambency Detailing’s brand or services to inform customers that it had posted fake reviews, and alert them to the feedback channel. It will also remove fake reviews on the platform within eight working days.
Matthew Lim Jun Ho, the company’s director, has told CCS he will not engage in any unfair trade practice or facilitate any business under his control to do so.
On its part, Sgcarmart said it will look into additional verification measures, including SMS or email confirmation, to further enhance the integrity and authenticity of the reviews.
CCCS chief executive Alvin Koh said that this is the second fake review case uncovered by them.
“When businesses post fake reviews to boost their ratings and popularity, they poison the well of consumer trust. Such deceptive practices, also known as ‘dark patterns,’ not only mislead consumers but also disadvantage honest competing businesses. We remain committed to taking firm action against businesses engaging in such unfair practices,” he added.
Anyone who wishes to report cases of unfair trade practices may reach out to the Consumers Association of Singapore at 6277 5100 or through this link. /TISG
Read also: CCCS flags Agoda’s ‘problematic’ website and app features that could mislead Singapore consumers
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