The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has finalized a consent order against Sitejabber, an AI-enabled consumer review platform. The company was found to have misled consumers by presenting ratings and reviews as if they were from customers who had experienced the products or services. This practice resulted in artificially inflated average ratings and review counts.
In a complaint filed in November 2024, the FTC accused Sitejabber of collecting reviews from consumers at the time of purchase, before they had received or used the products or services. These early reviews were then used to deceptively enhance client ratings on Sitejabber's platform and in search results on Google and other engines. The FTC also claimed that Sitejabber provided clients with pre-fulfillment product ratings and reviews, allowing them to misrepresent these as feedback from customers who had completed their purchases.
The final order prohibits Sitejabber from making any misrepresentations about ratings, average ratings, or reviews it collects, moderates, or displays. The Commission approved this order unanimously with a 5-0 vote after a public comment period.
The FTC's mission is to promote competition while protecting and educating consumers. They emphasize that they will never request money, make threats, ask for money transfers, or promise prizes. For more information on consumer issues or to report fraud and scams, visit consumer.ftc.gov or ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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