Car services company admits to posting fake reviews on sgCarMart
Kolette Lim for The Straits Times
The owner of an automobile services company has admitted to posting AI-generated five-star reviews on car listing website sgCarMart, said Singapore's consumer watchdog on July 3.
The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) said it received a complaint from a customer of Lambency Detailing, a company which provides car painting and detailing services, after she found unauthorised reviews posted under her name.
Following an investigation, CCCS found that seven other customers were also victims to these fake reviews, and their vehicles registration numbers and photographs had been posted without their consent.
Holding company Quantum Globe, which owns and operates Lambency Detailing, admitted to submitting false reviews when confronted with the evidence, said CCCS in a statement.
The reviews were submitted through a QR code provided by sgCarMart, which allowed users to submit feedback without an account on the car listing website, Facebook or Google.
Quantum Globe said that the reviews, customised based on services received by each customer, were generated by ChatGPT.
Posting fake customer reviews is an unfair trade practice, said CCCS. "Consumers might be misled into thinking that the product is more well-received than it actually is, and thus make misinformed purchase decisions."
Quantum Global director Matthew Lim has promised that he will not engage in further unfair trade practices, said CCCS.
The company has agreed to, for six months, set up a channel which allows customers to report any fake reviews that have been posted on sgCarMart.
It will also publish notices on sgCarMart and other online platforms that it has posted fake reviews.
The company will also notify customers whose details were used in these reviews, and remove them within eight days.
SGCM, which owns and operates sgCarMart, said that it is exploring additional verification measures, such as SMS or e-mail confirmation, to improve the integrity and authenticity of reviews.
CCCS chief executive Alvin Koh said that this is the second fake review case that the watchdog has uncovered, and the first which involves a third-party platform and AI.
"When businesses post fake reviews to boost their ratings and popularity, they poison the well of consumer trust," he said.
"Such deceptive practices, also known as "dark patterns", not only mislead consumers but also disadvantage honest competing businesses."
Those who would like to report cases of unfair trade practices may contact the Consumers Association of Singapore at 6277 5100 during office hours or submit a complaint online.
