Fake reviews – Deception cues for detecting fake reviews in recommender systems – What protective measurements use consumers against fake reviews?

Due to increasing digitization, there is an increase in online activities including online shopping. Criminals are also migrating to the online world. While online shopping, most people consult online consumer reviews about products and services to inform their purchasing decisions. However, cybercriminals manipulate consumers through fake reviews. Though there are automated fake review detection systems, none achieves 100% accuracy, leaving the consumer exposed to undetected fake reviews. Research on how consumers identify and respond to fake reviews is scarce. This PhD project focuses on the Research question: how do consumers detect and process fake online consumer reviews. Specifically, we develop a theory of how users process online reviews based on a combination of different methodological approaches (inductive and deductive). Using interviews, we developed a new theoretical framework and expanded it with a thinking-aloud study and an experimental survey. This work will provide insights into how to achieve behavioral change in consumers.