Online reviews are increasingly fake, say researchers. Here's why, and how to spot them

The Current25:13Why this woman posted fake reviews online

We turn to online reviews to help with everything from shopping for shoes to finding a dentist.

But a former U.S. federal criminal prosecutor says so many reviews are fake — written by people paid to post — that she no longer believes anyone should rely on them.

“My recommendation to everyone is actually get back to the tried-and-true method of getting your information from real people, because you just don’t know,” Kay Dean, now a consumer advocate, told The Current host Matt Galloway.

Dean, who has spent more than five years investigating the issue and runs a YouTube