CMA Opens Formal Investigations Into 5 Businesses Over Fake and Misleading Reviews
What happened
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched formal investigations into five businesses for suspected fake and misleading review practices. The cases, announced on 27 March 2026, cover sectors including car sales, food delivery, funeral services, and review management.
The five companies and the CMA's specific concerns:
- Autotrader and Feefo — Whether 1-star reviews moderated by Feefo were suppressed on Autotrader's platform and excluded from star ratings, denying consumers a full picture
- Dignity — Whether staff were asked to write positive reviews about the company's crematoria services
- Just Eat — Whether its ratings system inflated certain restaurants' and grocers' star ratings
- Pasta Evangelists — Whether customers were offered discounts in exchange for 5-star reviews on delivery apps, without disclosure
CMA CEO Sarah Cardell said: "Fake reviews strike at the heart of consumer trust. We've given businesses the time to get things right. Now we're deploying our new powers to tackle some of the most harmful practices head on."
These are the first formal investigations under the CMA's new DMCC Act powers, which allow it to fine businesses up to 10% of global turnover without going through the courts. The CMA expects to provide an update in September 2026.
What this means for tradespeople
This isn't about tradespeople being investigated — it's about the review ecosystem getting cleaned up, which benefits legitimate businesses.
The cases cover exactly the kinds of manipulation that hurt honest tradespeople: suppressing negative reviews to inflate ratings, paying for fake positives, and staff writing their own reviews. When platforms allow this, it means the tradesperson with 30 genuine 5-star reviews is competing against businesses with artificially inflated scores.
The DMCC Act applies to every business in the UK — including sole traders. Since April 2025, fake reviews are illegal, incentivised reviews without disclosure are illegal, and review gating (only sending review requests to happy customers) is illegal.
The CMA's earlier compliance sweep found that over half of 100+ businesses reviewed didn't have adequate anti-fake-review policies. This escalation to formal investigations shows enforcement is real.
What to do about it
If you're collecting reviews the right way — asking every customer, not offering incentives, and not cherry-picking who gets asked — you have nothing to worry about. These investigations actually help you by making the playing field fairer.
Make sure you're compliant:
- Never offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews
- Send review requests to every customer, not just happy ones
- Never ask staff, friends, or family to write reviews
- Read our full guide: The DMCC Act and Google Reviews
Source: GOV.UK / CMA