A landmark legal ruling in Italy has seen a fraudulent online reviewer sentenced to jail, in one of the first cases of its kind. 
 
 The owner of PromoSalento, a company which sells fake review packages to hospitality businesses in Italy, was sentenced to nine months in prison after the Criminal Court of Lecce ruled that writing fraudulent reviews under a false identity was “criminal conduct”. 
 
 The defendant was also ordered to pay €8,000 in costs and damages. 
 
 It’s one of the first cases of paid review fraud, which is the act of selling fake reviews to business owners, to result in a criminal conviction. 
 
 TripAdvisor supported the prosecution as a civil claimant, providing evidence from its in-house fraud investigations team. 
 
 The leading online review platform uses tracking technology and has a dedicated team of investigators to catch paid review companies and prevent them from operating on the site. 
 
 “We see this as a landmark ruling for the Internet,” said Brad Young, VP, associate general counsel at TripAdvisor. “Writing fake reviews has always been fraud, but this is the first time we’ve seen someone sent to jail as a result. 
 
 “We invest a lot in fraud prevention and we’re successful at tackling it – since 2015, we’ve put a stop to the activity of more than 60 different paid review companies worldwide. 
 
 “However, we can only do so much alone, which is why we’re eager to collaborate with regulators and law enforcement authorities to support their prosecutions.” 
 
 TripAdvisor has advised anyone approached by companies or individuals offering fake reviews to refrain from engaging with them and to share the information with TripAdvisor directly at paidreviews@tripadvisor.com. 
 
 Pascal Lamy, chairman of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics, said: “Online reviews play a major role in tourism and consumer purchasing decisions, but it’s important everyone plays by the rules. 
 
 “Fake reviews clearly contravene the World Committee on Tourism Ethics guidelines, which we published last year to guide the responsible use of ratings and reviews on digital platforms. 
 
 “The recommendations were developed in collaboration with TripAdvisor, Minube and Yelp and we know that industry collaboration has an important role to play in tackling review fraud.” 

 A TripAdvisor reviewer has been sentenced to nine months in prison in a landmark fraud ruling by an Italian court. 
 
 The owner of Promo Salento was convicted of selling fake reviews to hundreds of hospitality businesses across Italy in order to raise their profile on the website. He was also ordered to pay €8,000 (£7,100). 
 
 The court in Lecce said writing fake reviews under a false identity was a crime under Italian law. 
 
 How TripAdvisor changed travel Read more 
 
 TripAdvisor’s own investigation began in 2015 when business owners forwarded it letters they had received from Promo Salento offering to write fake reviews for a fee, in order to boost the companies’ profiles on the site. TripAdvisor staff identified and blocked more than 1,000 attempts by Promo Salento to post reviews. 
 
 “The police investigation into Promo Salento delivered enough evidence of criminal conduct to send the case to court,” the US company said in a statement. 
 
 “TripAdvisor formally joined the prosecution as a civil claimant, sharing evidence from our own investigations and providing support from our Italian legal counsel.” 
 
 This is the first time a paid-review fraud has resulted in a jail sentence, although in many jurisdictions deliberately misleading consumers through unfair or misleading marketing can lead to fines or the companies being shut down. 
 
 There have been cases (in connection with both TripAdvisor and other review sites) where damages have been awarded to companies that have had negative paid fake reviews posted about them; and instances of practices aiming to withhold negative reviews, resulting in hotels or travel companies facing fines. 
 
 Brad Young, TripAdvisor’s vice-president and associate general counsel, said the court’s decision was a pivotal ruling for the internet. 
 
 “We invest a lot in fraud prevention and we’re successful at tackling it: since 2015, we’ve put a stop to the activity of more than 60 different paid-review companies worldwide. However, we can only do so much alone, which is why we’re eager to collaborate with regulators and law enforcement authorities to support their prosecutions.” 
 
 Pascal Lamy, the chairman of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics, said: “Online reviews play a major role in tourism and consumer purchasing decisions, but it’s important everyone plays by the rules.” 
 
 Recent figures from TripAdvisor show the site has more than 500 million reviews and opinions of seven million properties, restaurants and attractions. The company faces growing pressure to tackle fake reviews and has come under fire in the past for not doing enough to prevent them, from the Italian Competition Authority, among others. 
 
 The site now employs a team of in-house investigators working to catch paid-review companies, and uses “advanced tracking technology” to analyse hundreds of pieces of information, including device location and other unusual patterns that might indicate a review is biased or fake. The site is also working with enforcement authorities including the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the US Federal Trade Commission, which could mean changes to sentencing around review fraud. 
 
 According to the European commission, 82% of people read consumer reviews before shopping, with estimates suggesting that between 1-16% of reviews are fake. The shift in consumer behaviour has resulted in advice from organisations such as the World Committee on Tourism Ethics, which published guidelines on the responsible use and misuse of ratings and review on digital platforms last year. 
 
 “The recommendations were developed in collaboration with TripAdvisor, Minube and Yelp, and we know that industry collaboration has an important role to play in tackling review fraud,” said Lamy. 
 
 With reviews playing an ever more significant role in tourism, TripAdvisor is asking consumers and business owners who are approached by paid-review companies not to engage with them and report them on its website. The Competition and Markets Authority also welcomes any information around fake reviews (gov.uk). 

 In the internet age, a hotel or restaurant can live or die by its TripAdvisor reviews. That’s why the site has fought against the practice of paying for fake reviews for years. 
 
 This week, the company went even further by getting the Italian justice system on its side. A “persistent online review fraudster” was sentenced to nine months in prison for operating a company called PromoSalento, which sold fake reviews to hotels. The man was also issued a fine of €8,000, or $9,300. 
 
 In a ruling that TripAdvisor hopes will set a precedent, the case marks one of the first times that a person has been sent to jail for selling fraudulent online reviews. In a statement, TripAdvisor called the case a “landmark ruling for the internet.” 
 
 “Writing fake reviews has always been fraud, but this is the first time we’ve seen someone sent to jail as a result. We invest a lot in fraud prevention and we’re successful at tackling it – since 2015, we’ve put a stop to the activity of more than 60 different paid review companies worldwide,” said a member of TripAdvisor’s legal team. “However, we can only do so much alone, which is why we’re eager to collaborate with regulators and law enforcement authorities to support their prosecutions.” 
 
 PromoSalento’s tactics were first flagged to TripAdvisor in 2015 by Italian businesses who received promotional emails regarding its services. Using technology to analyze IP addresses, browser types, and other digital clues, the company was “able to see a trail of digital and behavioral ‘breadcrumbs.'” PromoSalento was notified, but didn’t stop. Then, when the Italian Postal and Communications Police began its own investigation, TripAdvisor joined the prosecution as a civil claimant and shared evidence to bolster the case. 
 
 Though fake reviews have dogged the company for years—gonzo journalist Oobah Butler pulled a journalistic stunt in which he managed to get a fake restaurant to appear as London’s top-rated restaurant on the site last year—it maintains that the vast majority of reviews on the site are genuine. In its statement, TripAdvisor touted its “content integrity team,” who are devoted to collecting tips and investigating cases of fraud as part of its commitment to rooting out the practice. 

 NEEDHAM, Mass., Sept. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the global leader in online review fraud prevention, today commended the result of a pivotal legal ruling in Italy which saw a persistent online review fraudster sentenced to jail. 
 
 In one of the first legal cases of its kind, the Criminal Court of Lecce ruled that writing fake reviews using a false identity is criminal conduct under Italian criminal law. The owner of PromoSalento, which sold fake review packages to hospitality businesses in Italy, was sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay approximately 8,000 Euros in costs and damages. 
 
 Paid review fraud – when companies or individuals 'sell' fake reviews to business owners – is a violation of the law in many jurisdictions, but this is one of the first cases of enforcement resulting in a criminal conviction. 
 
 TripAdvisor supported the prosecution of PromoSalento as a civil claimant by sharing evidence from its extensive in-house fraud investigations and providing support from its Italian legal counsel. Review fraud is something TripAdvisor takes extremely seriously, employing advanced tracking technology and a dedicated team of investigators to catch paid review companies and prevent them from operating on the site. More information on TripAdvisor's in-house investigation into PromoSalento can be found here. 
 
 TripAdvisor welcomes the opportunity to work with enforcement authorities, including the UK Competition and Markets Authority and the US Federal Trade Commission, to share information and support their efforts to tackle online fake reviews. 
 
 Brad Young, VP, Associate General Counsel, TripAdvisor, said: "We see this as a landmark ruling for the Internet. Writing fake reviews has always been fraud, but this is the first time we've seen someone sent to jail as a result." 
 
 "We invest a lot in fraud prevention and we're successful at tackling it – since 2015, we've put a stop to the activity of more than 60 different paid review companies worldwide. However, we can only do so much alone, which is why we're eager to collaborate with regulators and law enforcement authorities to support their prosecutions." 
 
 "Online reviews play a major role in tourism and consumer purchasing decisions, but it's important everyone plays by the rules," said Mr Pascal Lamy, Chairman, World Committee on Tourism Ethics, UNWTO. "Fake reviews clearly contravene the World Committee on Tourism Ethics guidelines, which we published last year to guide the responsible use of ratings and reviews on digital platforms. The recommendations were developed in collaboration with TripAdvisor, Minube and Yelp and we know that industry collaboration has an important role to play in tackling review fraud." 
 
 The global travel community is a vital partner in the fight against paid review fraud and evidence shared by business owners approached by paid review companies is particularly valuable. Anyone approached or contacted by companies or individuals offering fake reviews should not engage with them but share that information with TripAdvisor directly at paidreviews@tripadvisor.com. All reports made to our Content Integrity team will be investigated and any information, no matter how minor, can help. 
 
 TripAdvisor has recently launched a new online information resource where people can learn more about how the company moderates reviews and protects its content. New articles will be added regularly addressing popular topics such as how TripAdvisor moderates reviews, or determines whether a review is biased. The site also features a behind-the-scenes series profiling the vital work of our review fraud investigators, with new investigation cases studies added regularly. 
 
 About TripAdvisor 
 
 TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site*, enables travelers to unleash the full potential of every trip. With over 661 million reviews and opinions covering the world's largest selection of travel listings worldwide – covering approximately 7.7 million accommodations, airlines, experiences, and restaurants -- TripAdvisor provides travelers with the wisdom of the crowds to help them decide where to stay, how to fly, what to do and where to eat. TripAdvisor also compares prices from more than 200 hotel booking sites so travelers can find the lowest price on the hotel that's right for them. TripAdvisor-branded sites are available in 49 markets, and are home to the world's largest travel community of 456 million average monthly unique visitors**, all looking to get the most out of every trip. TripAdvisor: Know better. Book better. Go better. 
 
 The subsidiaries and affiliates of TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) own and operate a portfolio of websites and businesses, including more than 20 travel media brands: 
 
 www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bokun.io, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.citymaps.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com and www.viator.com. 
 
 * Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, November 2017 
 
 ** Source: TripAdvisor log files, average monthly unique visitors, Q2 2018 
 
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 SOURCE TripAdvisor 
 
 Related Links 
 
 http://www.tripadvisor.com 
 

– For what is believed to be the first time, a person has been sent to jail for writing fake reviews online. The Italian man ran a company called PromoSalento, which sold hotels fake reviews, and in what's being widely hailed as a landmark ruling this week a court in the country deemed the act was "criminal conduct" and sentenced him to nine months behind bars plus a $9,300 fine, Quartz reports. TripAdvisor, which has been fighting fake reviews for years, learned of PromoSalento after hotels let the tourism site know the company had approached them offering to sell them reviews. TripAdvisor tracked the company down and issued a warning, but it didn't halt its practices; ultimately, the Italian Postal and Communications Police started its own probe and TripAdvisor joined the prosecution as a civil claimant, sharing the evidence it had gathered. "Writing fake reviews has always been fraud, but this is the first time we've seen someone sent to jail as a result," says a member of TripAdvisor's legal team in a statement that also highlights the success the site has had tackling fake reviews. (In this particular case, the company identified and blocked more than 1,000 attempts to post fake reviews, the Guardian reports.) "However, we can only do so much alone, which is why we're eager to collaborate with regulators and law enforcement authorities to support their prosecutions." TripAdvisor says the vast majority of reviews on its site are real, but it continues to struggle with fakes: Just last year, a writer managed to pull a stunt that resulted in a fake restaurant becoming the top-rated London eatery on the site.