CMA Warns 54 Businesses Over Fake Review Policies as DMCC Grace Period Ends
What happened
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has written to 54 businesses after a compliance sweep found more than half of the 100+ review publishers it checked are failing to meet the new fake reviews law.
The DMCC Act — which made fake reviews illegal from 6 April 2025 — requires all businesses that host customer reviews to have clear, accessible policies prohibiting fake and incentivised reviews. The CMA's sweep found that many businesses had no policy at all, while others had policies that were "unclear, incomplete or inaccessible."
The initial three-month grace period — during which the CMA focused on guidance rather than penalties — is now over. The CMA has already opened formal investigations into five businesses: Autotrader, Feefo, Dignity, Just Eat, and Pasta Evangelists. These are the first formal fake review cases brought under the DMCC Act.
The CMA's enforcement powers are significant. It can now issue infringement notices and impose fines of up to 10% of annual global turnover — without needing to go to court. An update on the investigations is expected in September 2026.
What this means for tradespeople
This is good news if you're collecting reviews honestly. The CMA crackdown means competitors who've been buying fake reviews or incentivising five-star ratings are increasingly likely to get caught — and penalised.
For tradespeople, the practical impact is twofold. First, platforms like Google are simultaneously tightening their own enforcement, meaning fake reviews are being removed faster than ever. Second, the legal climate means the playing field is levelling. If you've been losing out to competitors with suspiciously perfect review profiles, that advantage is disappearing.
The key takeaway: collect reviews the right way — after every job, with a simple ask — and you'll benefit as the fakes get cleared out.
What to do about it
Make sure your own review collection is compliant. That means no incentives (discounts, vouchers, or freebies in exchange for reviews), no review gating (filtering out unhappy customers before they reach Google), and no pressure tactics at the door.
TapReview is a £9/month tool that helps UK tradespeople get more Google reviews by sending automated review requests via WhatsApp and SMS after every job — fully compliant with both Google's policies and the DMCC Act.
Source: GOV.UK — Fake and misleading reviews: 5 businesses under CMA investigation