Tanjong Pagar restaurant Burma Social apologises for buying fake positive reviews after consumer watchdog probe
A Burmese restaurant in Singapore has apologised for procuring fake positive reviews which were posted on one or more online review platforms, following an investigation by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS).
In an Instagram post shared on Sept 30, Burma Social — located in Tanjong Pagar — said it recognises that its conduct constitutes an unfair practice under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, as fake reviews could mislead consumers.
“We regret our conduct and have taken corrective measures to remove the fake reviews and prevent such conduct from recurring,” the statement read.
The restaurant’s Google Maps listing currently has a 4.6-star rating from 1,870 reviews. Several reviews also have responses from the restaurant’s management.
Enforcement action taken against businesses
Burma Social’s apology came after CCS took enforcement action against 45 businesses and a fake review provider for fabricating online reviews. Its parent company, Kuisine Koncepts, was among the businesses flagged by CCS.
The agency said that Julian Tung Yan Kai, director of digital marketing firm Reputifly, had provided fake review services to approximately 100 businesses through websites BuyReviewSG and GetReviewSG.
Through these platforms, fake reviews were provided using generative artificial intelligence, which allowed clients to edit generated reviews before publication.
Clients were also able to manage and track fake reviews, which were generated based on the businesses’ existing four- and five-star Google reviews.
CCS added that a public apology will be posted prominently on Reputifly’s website for six months, and proceeds obtained from fake review services will be donated to a registered charity.
Fake review providers and businesses that have procured fake reviews are encouraged to come forward voluntarily through the CCS website.
Consumers are also advised to share honest reviews and report credible information about fake reviews to CCS.
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