Just Eat faces CMA probe over fake customer reviews

The UK Competition & Markets Authority has launched a major consumer law investigation into five companies, including Just Eat, as part of a new crackdown on fake and misleading online reviews.

The regulator, which has previously forced tech companies Amazon and Google to overhaul their practices, said its latest action also includes probes against Autotrader, review company Feefo, funeral services operator Dignity and restaurant chain Pasta Evangelists.

Online reviews play a significant role in people’s decisions, as well as being used in advertising and marketing activity to influence billions of pounds of UK spending every year.

According to one recent survey, more than two-thirds (68%) of shoppers turn to reviews before parting with their hard-earned cash, surpassing recommendations from family and friends (24%), brand advertising claims (18%) and opinions from influencers and media (both at 2%), highlighting the growing influence of peer feedback. A separate study by Which?, found that 89% of people use reviews when researching a product or service.

The CMA said that Just Eat, whose most recent ad campaign stars Jude Law (pictured), was being investigated over concerns that its ratings system has inflated certain restaurants’ and grocers’ star ratings, giving consumers a potentially misleading picture of quality when choosing where to order.

Meanwhile, the watchdog said that in the case of Autotrader and Feefo it was looking at whether a number of one-star reviews, moderated by Feefo, were excluded from being published on the car seller’s platform and therefore did not give consumers a full picture of other customers’ experiences.

The Dignity investigation focuses on whether its own staff were asked to write positive reviews about the company’s cremation services.

Finally, Pasta Evangelists is facing an investigation over whether customers were offered discounts on future orders in exchange for leaving five-star reviews on delivery apps.

The CMA’s work is looking at the key stages in the online reviews ecosystem, from how reviews are obtained, to the way they are moderated and displayed, to the star ratings people so often rely on.

By taking cases across each of these stages, the CMA is investigating multiple practices that can shape what people see when they search, shop or book online.

In April 2025, several practices relating to online reviews became banned under the Digital Markets, Competition & Consumers Act 2024, meaning they are automatically deemed unfair and illegal.

These include obtaining and posting fake reviews, and paid-for reviews that are not clearly marked as incentivised. It also covers how reviews are handled; for example, if negative reviews are hidden, or if star ratings present an inaccurate picture.

The investigations bring the total number of businesses under review using the CMA’s new consumer powers to 14.

CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said: “Fake reviews strike at the heart of consumer trust – with many of us worrying about misleading content when looking at reviews online.

“With household budgets under pressure, people need to know they’re getting genuine information – not reviews or star-ratings that have been manipulated to push them towards the wrong choice. We’ve given businesses the time to get things right. Now we’re deploying our new powers to tackle some of the most harmful practices head on.”

This new programme marks the next phase of the CMA’s work to curb fake and misleading reviews, and improve trust and transparency online. It builds on the significant work already taken to raise standards – including securing major changes from Google and Amazon to bolster their systems for identifying and removing fake reviews, as well as tough new sanctions for repeat offenders, and easier reporting functions.

The new powers allow the CMA to directly fine companies up to 10% of their global turnover without needing to take them to court.