Is it illegal to purchase reviews?
Purchasing reviews can be illegal when the activity is deceptive, undisclosed, or platform prohibited. US consumer protection laws and platform terms both create enforcement risk.
Educational content only, not legal advice. US laws and platform enforcement can vary by state and industry.
Purchasing reviews becomes illegal when it involves deception, undisclosed compensation, impersonation, or violations of consumer protection law. Even where statutes vary by state, platform terms can still make the activity enforceable through removals and account penalties. Businesses should treat legal and platform risk together, not as separate issues. A tactic that avoids one may still fail on the other. The highest risk behavior is manufacturing sentiment that does not reflect real customer experience. A safer path is compliant reputation management built on authentic outreach, verified users, and clear disclosure standards where incentives are allowed. Combine that with ongoing monitoring, response workflows, and review growth planning so performance improves without crossing legal or policy boundaries for resilient long term customer trust.
What to do instead
- Use transparent outreach programs tied to real customer interactions.
- Apply disclosure standards when incentives are legally allowed.
- Maintain review logs and compliance checks for every campaign.
Common mistakes
- Separating legal review from platform policy review.
- Paying for sentiment without proof of real customer experience.
- Skipping documentation that supports campaign defensibility.
OrderBoosts delivers a platform-compliant, long-term reputation strategy centered on authentic engagement and verified users.
Related: Is it legal to purchase reviews? · Further reading: Online Reputation Management Guide