Fake reviews have existed for as long as the Internet has been a mainstream medium.

But with the prominence of shopping sites like Amazon.com and restaurant review sites like Yelp.ca, reviews are becoming more important both for consumers and businesses alike. 

“We all want word of mouth,” technology expert Marc Saltzman told BNN in an interview. But consumers should be wary of comments on review sites before deciding to buy a product or book their next vacation, he warned.

The consequences of phony reviews can go beyond eating a bad meal or staying in a questionable hotel room. Just last week, the U.K. Competitions and Markets Authority issued an open letter to professional marketers warning that they could face civil or even criminal charges if they commission fake online reviews.

“It’s a big problem,” Saltzman said. “[Businesses] can only benefit from being vigilant about the quality of reviews.”

Companies realize the impact reviews can have on their success, and some sites are starting to tighten the rules for reviewers. Travel search site Hotels.com, for example, requires you to actually check out of a hotel through their app before you can write a review.

“I think it’s getting better overall, but you still have to apply some common sense when you read these reviews,” Saltzman said.

To help spot these fake online reviews, Saltzman shared these tips:

• Be wary of reviews that are overly-enthusiastic with very little depth
• Look for the comments, rather than the star rating
• Watch for similar or duplicated reviews  that appear elsewhere
• If it looks too good to be true, it probably is
• Read a number of different reviews from different sitesUse sites like Fakespot.com to help you find fake reviews