Overview
Reviews on SmartCustomer may come from consumers who independently share their experiences or from customers invited by businesses to leave feedback after a transaction.
SmartCustomer expects reviews to reflect real customer experiences. Before a review is published, it must meet the initial verification requirements. From there, our automated detection systems, human moderation team, and community reporting all play a role in identifying reviews that don't belong. A review that raises concern may be flagged, filtered, investigated, labeled, or removed depending on what we find.
Fake reviews are an ongoing and evolving problem. The rise of generative AI has made them easier to produce and harder to spot, and we continue to invest in our ability to detect them. Our approach is described in full below.
SmartCustomer's review collection and fake review detection practices are designed to comply with FTC regulations around review integrity. You can read more about our Review Integrity Policy & Guidelines here.
Types of Reviews on SmartCustomer
Reviews on SmartCustomer are labeled based on how they were collected. These reviews are labeled to provide transparency around how the review request originated.
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Organic Reviews Verified
Organic reviews are submitted by consumers who independently visit SmartCustomer to share an experience with a business.
These reviews are not initiated by the business.
Verification Requirements
Starting February 2026, organic reviews require proof of purchase before submission. Reviewers can also verify their identity through SmartCustomer’s partnership with identity verification platform, Persona.
Organic Reviews with a valid proof of purchase are marked as verified.
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Automated Reviews Verified
Automated reviews originate from businesses using SmartCustomer’s automated review collection tools to trigger feedback from customers after a transaction or interaction.
Verification Requirements
Because Automated Reviews are requested automatically following a confirmed customer interaction, the connection between the reviewer and the business is established by the process itself.
SmartCustomer may verify that the review submission is associated with a customer email address or transaction record provided through the business’s customer database.
Automated Reviews are marked as verified.
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Invited Reviews Not Verified
Invited reviews are submitted after a business uses non-automated tools to directly invite a customer to leave feedback.
Verification Expectations
Invited Reviews are not marked as verified.
SmartCustomer may sometimes audit Invited Reviews to ensure that the review submission is associated with a customer email address or transaction record provided through the business’s customer database.
Additionally, reviewer eligibility applies across all three types. Read more about who can and can't write a review.
Does Verification Mean Reviews are Fact-Checked?
SmartCustomer evaluates reviews for signs of manipulation, fraud, policy violations, or inauthentic activity.
However, SmartCustomer does not independently fact-check every statement, opinion, or claim made within a review.
Verification processes are intended to help determine whether a review likely reflects a real customer experience, not to independently validate every detail described in the review itself.
Fake Review Detection
Verification is the first line of defence, but it isn't the only one. SmartCustomer uses multiple layers of review integrity systems designed to identify suspicious activity and reduce manipulation on the platform.
No system can detect every instance of abuse, but SmartCustomer continuously updates its detection and enforcement processes in response to evolving manipulation tactics.
Algorithmic Detection Systems
SmartCustomer uses automated systems to identify suspicious review activity and behavioral patterns associated with fake or misleading reviews.
Signals reviewed may include:
- Unusual review submission patterns
- Fraudulent email detection
- Coordinated review behavior
- Repeated account activity
- Conflicts of interest
- Suspicious reviewer or business relationships
- Review farms or mass-submission activity
- Attempts to manipulate ratings or visibility
- Indicators associated with deceptive or AI-generated review behavior
Automated systems may flag reviews or accounts for additional evaluation, but automated detection alone does not necessarily result in removal.
Human Moderation
SmartCustomer’s moderation teams may review flagged reviews, accounts, businesses, or reported activity to evaluate potential policy violations.
Moderators may assess:
- Reviewer authenticity indicators
- Supporting documentation
- Policy compliance
- Conflicts of interest
- Patterns of repeat abuse
- Attempts to manipulate ratings or consumer perception
Human review helps provide additional context and oversight when evaluating complex or disputed situations.
Community & Business Reporting
Reviewers and businesses can report reviews that appear fake, abusive, conflicted, or otherwise violate our Review Integrity Policy.
Reports can be submitted directly from any review. Reported reviews are evaluated against SmartCustomer’s policies and moderation standards before action is taken.
Where a violation is confirmed, further action may be taken against the reviewer's account, the business profile, or both. For businesses, confirmed violations result in a formal warning and a published notice in the Business Activity section of their profile. Repeated violations may result in the removal of their SmartCustomer rating and a permanent banner. Read more about how we enforce our policies here.
What Happens When a Review Is Flagged
When a review is flagged through automated systems, moderation review, or community reporting, SmartCustomer will evaluate the review under its Review Integrity Policy.
Depending on the situation, SmartCustomer may:
- Request additional information from the reviewer or business
- Temporarily filter the review during investigation
- Leave the review published
- Remove the review if it violates policy
In cases involving repeated abuse or manipulation, SmartCustomer may also take action against associated accounts, business profiles, or platform access.
When we've confirmed that a business has violated our Review Integrity Policy, we reach out directly with a formal warning. We also publish the status of that warning in the Business Activity section of their SmartCustomer profile, so consumers can see it.
After three confirmed violations, we remove the business's SmartCustomer rating entirely and apply a permanent banner to their profile. This isn't a decision we make lightly, but protecting the integrity of the platform means holding businesses accountable when repeated violations make that necessary.
Reviewers will see actions taken on Business Profile Pages as warnings and/or highlighted in the Business Activity section.
AI and the Rise of Fake Reviews
Generative AI has made fake reviews easier to produce at scale, more fluent, and harder to distinguish from genuine ones. It also enables the creation of convincing fake reviewer personas, supports review farm operations, and can be used to orchestrate coordinated competitor attacks.
SmartCustomer's approach focuses on whether a review reflects a real experience, not simply on whether AI was involved in drafting it. AI tools are widely used for writing assistance, and that alone isn't grounds for removal. What matters is whether the experience described actually happened.
Reviews that fabricate experiences, construct false identities, or misrepresent sentiment violate our review integrity standards and will be removed regardless of how they were produced.
As AI-generated manipulation tactics continue to evolve, SmartCustomer continues investing in moderation systems and detection technologies intended to help preserve authentic customer feedback.