Fake reviews and sneaky fees banned under new law campaigned for by Which?
Fake reviews and hidden fees are now banned under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act, campaigned for by Which?.
The DMCC Act, which passed into law in May 2024, aims to protect consumers from a range of dodgy practices when shopping online.
It follows a number of Which? investigations over several years into fake reviews, drip pricing and online platforms.
Under the Act, a ban on sneaky fees and fake reviews came into force from 6 April 2025.
Here, we unpack what the new rules mean for you.
Tackling fake reviews
Since 2018, Which? has highlighted the persistence and scale of fake reviews across platforms such as Amazon, Facebook, Google and Trustpilot.
Our research shows that consumers are more than twice as likely to choose poor quality products that have been boosted by fraudulent reviews.
But under the DMCC Act, as campaigned for by Which?, fake reviews are now banned, with the following practices prohibited:
- Commissioning or submitting of fake reviews
- Hosting consumer reviews without taking reasonable steps to check they're genuine
- Offering or advertising to submit, commission or facilitate fake reviews
These new rules should give you greater clarity on the quality of product and services you're buying when shopping online.
- Read more: how to spot a fake review
Sneaky fees and subscription traps
Sneaky fees are also banned under the DMCC Act.
You'll likely have come across these fees (otherwise known as drip pricing) when booking flights, concert or cinema tickets online.
Drip pricing occurs when you're shown an initial price for a product or service, only to be slapped with additional, non-optional charges (such as booking fees) later on in the checkout process.
Businesses will have to show the overall cost, with all necessary incurred fees included, in the upfront price of a product or service. This will help you avoid any nasty surprises at the checkout and allow you to compare prices across companies.
CMA given stronger powers
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has also been given stronger powers to crack down on unfair practices.
The CMA can now decide when consumer law has been broken, rather than having to take each case to court, allowing it to take faster action against companies who are breaking the rules. This includes fines of up to 10% of global turnover if a business is found to be in breach of consumer laws.
It also has greater powers to enforce breaches of existing secondary ticketing rules.
The Digital Markets Unit (DMU), within the CMA, has been given powers to regulate tech giants such as Apple, Google and Meta. It will be able to set new rules to prevent them from using their size and power to stifle competition or treat their customers unfairly.
‘Consumer and competition laws fit for the modern age’
Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, says: ‘These new laws will ensure that our consumer and competition laws are fit for the modern age.
‘Whether it’s stamping out fake reviews of dodgy businesses, making the price of products clear upfront or stopping people getting trapped in unwanted and costly subscriptions, Which? has led the campaign for legislation to make markets in the UK work better for consumers and businesses.
‘The new DMU will help level the playing field that has for too long been dominated by a small group of powerful tech companies, which should lead to more innovation, greater customer choice and potentially lower prices. The regulator will also ensure customers are treated more fairly when dealing with Big Tech.’
