Fake Reviews and Hidden Fees: UK Rules for Businesses

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15 October 2026 Digital Marketing

In the UK, it is against the law to write, buy or commission fake reviews. It is also against the law to show a low price and then add compulsory fees at checkout. These rules have applied since 6 April 2025, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (the DMCC Act). The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can now fine businesses directly, with no court case needed. As of October 2026, the CMA has issued fines in two drip pricing cases and opened several more investigations.

This guide explains what the rules cover, what is still allowed, and what to check in your business now.

What counts as a fake review?

A fake review is one that claims to come from a real experience when it does not. Business Companion sets out the banned practices. Fake positive reviews and fake negative reviews are both covered.

The ban includes:

• Writing a fake review, or asking someone else to write one for you.
• Hiding an incentive. If you gave a free product, a discount or cash for a review, the review must say so clearly.
• Offering a service that produces fake or hidden-incentive reviews. Selling “review packages” falls into this group.
• Publishing reviews in a misleading way, such as removing negative ones or showing only the good ones.

Here is how common situations sort out:

The last row matters for shops with several variants of one item. CMS notes that the CMA treats review merging as a problem when the products are materially different.

Businesses that publish reviews also have a duty. Anyone who publishes or provides access to reviews must take reasonable and proportionate steps to stop and remove banned reviews. That applies to review platforms as well as to shops that show reviews on their own sites.

What is drip pricing?

Drip pricing means showing a base price first and revealing extra mandatory fees only at the end of the purchase. Under the DMCC regime, this counts as leaving out material information that the customer needs to decide. The CMA has made it a priority.

It is worth separating two things. Optional extras that a customer chooses can be shown later. A fee the customer has to pay, such as a compulsory booking fee, must be part of the price shown at the start.

Recent cases give a clear picture:

• AA Driving School and BSM (April 2026). A £3 mandatory booking fee was added at checkout to bookings by more than 80,000 learner drivers. The fine was £4.2 million after a 40% reduction for early settlement. The businesses also refunded over £760,000. A&O Shearman’s summary of the decision puts the pre-discount fine at £7 million.
• StubHub (June 2026). A fine of £900,000 for leaving out mandatory delivery and service fees from the headline price. After the same 40% settlement reduction, refunds of over £590,000 were ordered for more than 50,000 customers. HSF Kramer’s note on the CMA’s cases lists these outcomes.
• August 2026. The CMA opened three more drip pricing investigations, into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School. Earlier cases against viagogo and Gold’s Gym are still open.

An investigation is not a finding that a business broke the law. Still, the pattern is clear. The CMA is looking at any sector where fees appear late in the buying process, from travel to ticketing to driving lessons.

What penalties can apply?

Breaking the fake review rules is not a criminal offence. The CMA can decide a breach itself and impose fines of up to 10% of a company’s annual global turnover. The same ceiling applies to drip pricing. The CMA’s first cases have so far involved large firms. The rules themselves, though, cover any business that sells to consumers.

What is coming next?

On 9 August 2026, the government said it would consult “later this autumn” on adding more practices to the automatically unfair list. These include fake “was” prices, invented discounts and misleading recommended retail prices. As of October 2026, check gov.uk for whether that consultation has opened and what it proposes, because the final list may differ from the first draft.

A checklist for this week

1. Check your prices. Add up every compulsory fee (booking, delivery, service, admin) and make sure it appears in the first price a customer sees.
2. Review how you ask for reviews. Note who asks, what they receive in return, and whether any incentive is labelled.
3. Look at your reviews page. Do not hide negative reviews. If a review breaks a platform’s rules, use that platform’s removal process and keep a record.
4. Check agencies and review services. Do not buy reviews or use a service that writes them. Your contract should say so.
5. Brief your staff. Anyone who posts reviews for your business, including on social media, needs to know the rules.
6. Keep records. Save a note of any incentive offered for reviews and the terms you used.

Key points

• Fake reviews, including paid reviews with a hidden incentive, have been banned since 6 April 2025.
• Incentivised reviews are allowed if they are clearly labelled and genuine.
• Suppressing or cherry-picking reviews to mislead customers is banned.
• Compulsory fees must appear in the upfront price. Drip pricing is a banned practice.
• The CMA can fine up to 10% of global annual turnover without going to court.
• The government plans to extend the banned list, so check gov.uk for updates.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ask customers to leave reviews? Yes. An honest request is allowed. The reviews you receive must be genuine, and any reward you offer must be clearly labelled.

Can I remove a negative review? Not to make your rating look better. Removing or hiding genuine negative reviews counts as misleading. If a review breaks a platform’s own rules, follow that platform’s removal process and keep records of what you did.

Do these rules apply to a small business? Yes. The ban applies to any business dealing with consumers. The CMA’s first enforcement cases have involved large firms, but a small shop or service provider can still breach the rules.

Is breaking the fake review rule a crime? No. The CMA handles breaches directly and can impose fines without a court. Trading Standards also has a role in some cases.

Are fees for optional extras covered? The drip pricing ban is about mandatory fees. A charge the customer chooses, such as extra insurance, can be shown separately, as long as it is clearly presented as optional.

Where can I get help? Start with Business Companion, which has plain-English guidance for businesses. For a specific problem, speak to your local Trading Standards team or a qualified solicitor. Consumer law can be complicated, and a professional can check your particular terms and practices.