What is the effect of fake reviews on the overall quality rating of a product page?

• A. Increases reliability
• B. No change
• C. Decreases reliability and quality
• D. Improves visibility

Answer: (C)

Fake reviews undermine the trustworthiness of a product page by distorting the signal buyers rely on to judge quality. When reviews aren’t genuine, the overall rating no longer accurately reflects real product performance, so it becomes less reliable as a measure of true quality. This erosion of trust also lowers how users perceive the page’s quality—if people suspect reviews are fake, they doubt the information presented and the page’s credibility. So the impact is a decrease in both reliability and perceived quality. It’s not about increasing reliability, no change, or simply improving visibility—the manipulation undermines the rating system itself and harms how users judge the page.