SourcingAug 19, 2025
Dubai’s Jemora Group Buys Diamond Miner LucapaThe investment company, founded by Dev Shetty, has acquired the struggling miner and its assets, including the Lulo mine in Angola.
TechnologyNov 23, 2015
Retailer combats reviewers-for-hire
When Long’s Jewelers racked up 100 fake one-star reviews on Facebook in just a few days, they found some people are willing to post and profit from untrue reviews. Here’s what they did about it.
Boston--When it comes to online reviews, retailers may have more to worry about than customers who actually come into or do business online with their stores.
In a blog post published last week, Lynelle Schmidt, Long’s Jewelers digital marketing coordinator, detailed a recent experience the Boston-based retailer had with a batch of fake Facebook reviews that it believes were purchased online by a competitor.
In the post, she wrote that she came in one Monday to check the store’s social media channels and saw that the store’s rating on its Facebook page had dropped from 4.8 stars to 2.3 stars over the weekend.
The cause: more than 100 one-star reviews that were left on the Long’s Jewelers Facebook page with no comments, and each coming within minutes of each other from seemingly fake, and very similar, Facebook profiles.
After much back-and-forth with Facebook, Schmidt wrote that she finally was able to have the comment-less, one-star reviews moved from the page. The entire debacle, however, brought to light a larger problem: online marketplaces where people offer to post fake reviews of a product or business, good or bad, for a fee.
One place where this has happened is Fiverr.com. It’s an online marketplace where visitors can offer to do small tasks and services for $5 or more. The jobs range from writing and design to animation and advertising, but it also has become a place where users can find people willing to be paid to post false reviews and ratings, be they negative or positive. (There also are other sites that offer similar services, among them the blatantly named BuyAmazonReviews.com.)
Schmidt told National Jeweler that based on how the events unfolded, they believe the false, negative Facebook reviews posted to the Long’s page were purchased on Fiverr. “Fiverr is probably one of the most well-known platforms that allow this to happen,” she said. “It’s popular because it’s cheap and effective.”
When asked about the Long’s incident--and, more specifically, if it was aware that users were posting fake review services on its website and if it was removing them--Fiverr told National Jeweler that “Gigs may be removed by Fiverr for violations of the Terms of Service … Fraudulent reviews are a violation of Fiverr’s Terms of Service, and we promptly remove these services as they are reported.”
However, Fiverr’s simply removing the reviews doesn’t go to the
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
root of the issue--people feeling like they can offer to do fake reviews and get away with it. Amazon has acknowledged that, and is attempting to deter people from selling false reviews not by going after Fiverr itself but by filing a lawsuit naming the individual users engaging in the practice.
In Long’s case, Schmidt said she believes the negative reviews that appeared on the retailer’s Facebook page were paid for by a competitor. “There have been a few recent events that lead us to believe it was a competitor, another local jeweler, that we prefer not to share (the name of) publicly,” she said. “We are really looking to keep things positive with this story and take the high road by not outing or naming them in any way.”
Aside from contacting Facebook administrators to get the review situation sorted out, Schmidt and the Long’s Jewelers team also released a statement on their Facebook page that, despite “terrible organic reach,” garnered a lot of attention.
“Normally, I boost almost all of our posts because organic reach on Facebook is dismal,” she said. “But I felt like the message behind this post would really be compromised by us boosting it. Our hope was that it would go viral on its own without us having to pay.”
And it did. Thanks to Long’s “community of loyal followers and customers sharing the post,” she said it accumulated more than 14,000 views.
When asked what she would advise retailers to do if they find themselves in a similar situation, Schmidt recommended they turn to their own community for support and work with the online platform where the issue is taking place.
She said Yelp recently has dealt with legal action from businesses suing over defamation, “so they are much stricter about blocking negative or false reviews.” Facebook, however, is newer to the review game, and is beginning to garner negative attention around blatant acts of spam that are not subject to any kind of filtering system.
“The best course of action would really be to drum up as much attention as possible, take the high road, and focus on strategies to rebuild despite the damage done,” Schmidt said. “In the future, we predict that sites like Facebook will be much more regulated after stories like ours continue to surface, but in the meantime, there’s not much a business can do.”
More on Technology
The Latest
ColumnistsAug 19, 2025
Peter Smith: The Arrival Fallacy and Jewelry RetailSmith shares wisdom he gleaned from a podcast he was listening to one morning while being walked by his dog, a Malshi named Sophie.
CrimeAug 19, 2025
Customs Seizes 7,300 Pairs of Fake ‘Alhambra’ EarringsThe counterfeit Van Cleef & Arpels jewels would have been worth more than $30 million if genuine.
Brought to you by
Rallying Call for the Jewelry Industry on Tariffs and Other Key IssuesJewelers of America is leading the charge to protect the industry amidst rising economic threats.
MajorsAug 19, 2025
MJSA Apprenticeship Program Is Nationally RecognizedThe MJSA Mentor & Apprenticeship Program received the Registered Apprenticeship Program designation by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Weekly QuizAug 15, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
WatchesAug 19, 2025
Casio America Names New Timepiece Division ManagerCasio executive and watch enthusiast Masaki Obu is the new general manager of its U.S. timepiece division.
MajorsAug 18, 2025
Verragio’s Michael Barabash, a ‘Kind Soul,’ Dies at 58Barabash, Verragio’s client relations representative, was a vital member of the team and is remembered as being warm and full of life.
Brought to you by
Taking the Moment Head On: How Rio Grande Champions the Present & Future of Fine JewelryAs a leading global jewelry supplier, Rio Grande is rapidly expanding and developing new solutions to meet the needs of jewelers worldwide.
CollectionsAug 18, 2025
John Hardy’s New ‘Dot’ Collection Is on PointOriginally introduced in 1992, the “Dot” collection is back with a capsule featuring five archival designs and three new creations.
Events & AwardsAug 18, 2025
IJO Announces 2025 Vendor of the YearAllison-Kaufman has received the honor for the fourth year in a row.
FinancialsAug 15, 2025
In Q2 Results, Pandora Talks Tariffs, Q4 Plans The company had a solid second quarter, with sales of non-charm jewelry outpacing sales of pieces in its core collections.
EditorsAug 15, 2025
Piece of the Week: Etho Maria’s Showgirl-Approved Ruby Drop Earrings Taylor Swift dons the vibrant pair in new promotional imagery for her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” set to release in October.
WatchesAug 15, 2025
Audemars Piguet Acquires Majority Stake in ManufacturerIts investment in micromechanics expert Inhotec will preserve skills essential to the watchmaking industry as a whole, said the company.
MajorsAug 15, 2025
Rio Grande Names New Marketing DirectorNicolette Bianchi joins the wholesale provider with more than 15 years of cross-industry experience in marketing and product development.
CollectionsAug 14, 2025
In Midst of ‘Sardine Girl Summer,’ Pippa Small Looks to ‘Flounder Fall’Her new “Ocean” collection was inspired by Myanmar’s traditional articulated fish jewelry, with depictions of flounder, catfish, and more.
MajorsAug 14, 2025
Casio America Names New CEOLongtime Casio executive Yusuke Suzuki is the new president and CEO of Casio’s U.S. subsidiary.
SourcingAug 14, 2025
West Coast Orgs to Host Trading Event, Mixer in LAThe full-day sourcing and networking event, slated for Aug. 18, will be followed by the fifth annual Mega Mixer Summer Soirée.
TrendsAug 13, 2025
Cristiano Ronaldo Proposes With Gigantic Oval-Cut DiamondModel Georgina Rodríguez received a rock of an engagement ring, with her diamond estimated to be 35 carats, experts say.
SourcingAug 13, 2025
ICA Names 2025 Board of DirectorsThe board elected 9 new directors at its recent ICA Congress in Brazil.
TrendsAug 13, 2025
Colorado Jeweler, Whiskey Maker Collab on Ring GiveawayThree winners will receive a custom ring from Honest Hands Ring Co. inlaid with a piece of history from Denver-based distillery Stranahan’s.
SurveysAug 13, 2025
These Are The 25 Hottest Retailers, Says NRFJD Sports and Wawa were among the fastest-growing retail companies in the U.S. last year.
SourcingAug 13, 2025
Columbia Gem House Launches Winza Sapphires, RubiesThe new inventory, all untreated, features vibrant hues and unique bicolor combinations.
SourcingAug 12, 2025
Gemfields Sells Fabergé for $50MAcquired by a tech investor, the historic brand will continue to focus on jewelry, accessories, and timepieces.
Policies & IssuesAug 12, 2025
Higher Tariff on Chinese Imports Paused for 90 Days, Trump SaysPresident Donald Trump issued an executive order extending the pause on higher tariffs to November as negotiations with China continue.
CollectionsAug 12, 2025
Jacquie Aiche’s New Collection Harnesses the Energy of the ThunderbirdThe “Thunderbird Slab” collection features a thunderbird motif as a symbol of power, protection, and boundless possibility.
ColumnistsAug 12, 2025
Creative Connecting: How to Take a Better HeadshotColumnists Jen Cullen Williams and Duvall O’Steen share tips on how to elevate your professional image.
CrimeAug 11, 2025
Man Convicted of First-Degree Murder in Death of Colorado JewelerPeter Damian Arguello, a jeweler in the Denver suburb of Wheat Ridge, was found dead inside his store in November 2023.
