CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Shopping for a product online and you want to make sure it's worth your money, so what's the first thing you do? Look at the reviews. Unfortunately, you can't always trust what you read.
In fact, there's a good chance you've been tricked by a phony review before if you've ever bought an item online based on its 5-star reviews only to find out there's nothing 5-star about it.
WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing money@wcnc.com.
While it's against regulation for businesses to post fake reviews, that doesn't seem to be enough to stop the practice.
That's why the Federal Trade Commission is getting involved.
The FTC is now considering a new rule that would hand down, "substantial civil penalties" to businesses that engage in deceptive review practices. The idea is to make the shopping experience better for the consumer and level the playing field for businesses that aren't fabricating reviews.
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While this rule is still being discussed and has yet to be adopted, there are a couple of things you can do in the meantime to protect yourself.
Experts say before buying anything, be aware of the return policy. You want to make sure you can easily get your money back if you end up not being happy with your purchase and whenever possible, use a credit card for the transaction. Doing this adds another layer of protection should something go wrong.
Contact Carolyn Bruck at cbruck@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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