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Independent Singapore
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Independent Singapore
Detailing shop admits to posting AI-generated 5-star reviews on Sgcarmart; using customer info without consent
SINGAPORE: The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) said in a statement on Thursday (July 3) that the owner of a car detailing business admitted that it posted fake five-star reviews on its business page on the car buying and selling platform Since January this year, CCCS has been investigating Quantum Globe Pte. Ltd, which owns and operates the Lambency Detailing brand. The probe was launched after a customer of Lambency Detailing found unauthorised reviews posted in her name on Sgcarmart. In the course of its investigation, CCCS found fake reviews posted without the consent of seven other customers whose names, vehicle registration numbers and vehicles' photographs appeared in the posts. Screengrab/ CCCS After CCCS confronted the company with the evidence, Quantum Globe admitted that it submitted five-star customer reviews that contained information from their former customers without their knowledge or consent. The reviews were submitted through a QR code provided by , which lets users share feedback regarding businesses even if they have no accounts with Sgcarmart, Facebook, or Google. CCCS added that Quantum Globe also admitted to using ChatGPT to generate customised review content based on services provided to the customers. 'The posting of fake customer reviews by a business in relation to a consumer transaction is an unfair trade practice, as consumers might be misled into thinking that the product is more well-received than it actually is, and thus make misinformed purchase decisions,' CCCS said in its statement. Quantum Globe has said it will stop posting fake reviews and set up a feedback channel for six months to allow customers to report any fake reviews on Sgcarmart. It will also notify customers whose information was used in reviews posted by Quantum Globe between October 2024 and January 2025, inviting them to report any fake reviews through the feedback channel. For six months, the company will also publish notices on Sgcarmart and any online platforms used for marketing Lambency Detailing's brand or services to inform customers that it had posted fake reviews, and alert them to the feedback channel. It will also remove fake reviews on the platform within eight working days. See also AI may impact high-skilled professional jobs the most in SG Matthew Lim Jun Ho, the company's director, has told CCS he will not engage in any unfair trade practice or facilitate any business under his control to do so. On its part, Sgcarmart said it will look into additional verification measures, including SMS or email confirmation, to further enhance the integrity and authenticity of the reviews. CCCS chief executive Alvin Koh said that this is the second fake review case uncovered by them. 'When businesses post fake reviews to boost their ratings and popularity, they poison the well of consumer trust. Such deceptive practices, also known as 'dark patterns,' not only mislead consumers but also disadvantage honest competing businesses. We remain committed to taking firm action against businesses engaging in such unfair practices,' he added. Anyone who wishes to report cases of unfair trade practices may reach out to the Consumers Association of Singapore at 6277 5100 or through this link . /TISG Read also: CCCS flags Agoda's 'problematic' website and app features that could mislead Singapore consumers
CNA
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- CNA
Car detailing firm admits to posting fake AI-generated 5-star reviews on Sgcarmart in first such case
SINGAPORE: A car detailing company has been found to have posted fake AI-generated 5-star customer reviews on its Sgcarmart business page for the past two years, said the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) on Thursday (Jul 3). Quantum Globe, the owner and operator of Lambency Detailing, admitted to submitting the ChatGPT-written reviews using their customers' information without their knowledge and consent. 'This is the second fake review case that CCCS has uncovered, and the first case involving both a third-party platform and the use of AI to create these fake reviews," said CCCS chief executive Alvin Koh. The consumer watchdog began investigating the case in January under Singapore's fair trading laws. This came after a complaint from a Lambency Detailing customer who discovered unauthorised reviews posted under her name on Sgcarmart, an online platform for buying and selling cars. According to its website, Lambency Detailing provides a range of car detailing services from hand washing to restoration. During the investigation, CCCS confirmed with seven other customers that fake reviews with their names, vehicle registration numbers and vehicle photographs had been posted without their consent. Quantum Globe then admitted it was behind the reviews, and that it had used ChatGPT to generate them based on services it had provided to the customers. The reviews were submitted via a QR code provided by Sgcarmart that allowed users to give feedback on businesses without needing to have an account with the platform, Facebook or Google. "The posting of fake customer reviews by a business in relation to a consumer transaction is an unfair trade practice, as consumers might be misled into thinking that the product is more well-received than it actually is, and thus make misinformed purchase decisions," said CCCS. ACTION TAKEN According to CCCS, Quantum Globe has admitted to engaging in an unfair trade practice and has given an undertaking that it will stop posting fake reviews. The company also agreed to set up a feedback channel for six months to allow the reporting of any fake reviews on Sgcarmart by customers. It will notify customers whose details were used in the fake reviews that were posted between October 2024 and January, and invite them to report fake reviews via the feedback channel. In addition, Quantum Globe agreed to publish notices that will last for six months on Sgcarmart and any other online platforms it uses to promote Lambency Detailing. The notices are to inform customers that it had posted fake reviews and to let them know of the feedback channel. Any reviews on Sgcarmart that are verified to be fake are to be removed within eight working days, including the reviews flagged by CCCS during its investigation. Quantum Globe director Matthew Lim Jun Ho also gave an undertaking to CCCS that he will not engage in any unfair trade practice or facilitate any business under his control to do so. In response to the investigation, Sgcarmart owner and operator SGCM is considering additional verification methods, such as SMS or email confirmation, to enhance the integrity and authenticity of reviews on its platform, said CCCS. In June last year, furniture retailer Loft Home Furnishing was issued a warning by the consumer watchdog for posting fake 5-star reviews. Investigations into that case were prompted following complaints by some customers over reviews which contained their initials and posted on the retailer's website without their knowledge. "When businesses post fake reviews to boost their ratings and popularity, they poison the well of consumer trust. Such deceptive practices, also known as 'dark patterns', not only mislead consumers but also disadvantage honest competing businesses," said Mr Koh. "We remain committed to take firm action against businesses engaging in such unfair practices." Consumers who rely on online reviews before making purchases are advised to spend more time looking in-depth, rather than just scanning them. "Instead of just focusing on the number of reviews and the average score, look deeper into the spread of review scores and common opinions that emerge. Read a selection of reviews with different scores and form your own view," said CCCS. Other measures they can take to differentiate authentic reviews from fake ones include checking multiple websites to gauge the consistency and reliability of the reviews, as well as whether there are safeguards in place, such as verification of purchases and absence of incentivised reviews. Overly positive reviews can be a red flag, as are generic reviews that lack details or use generic buzzwords such as "amazing" or "perfect". Consumers should also be wary if there are many reviews posted under similar names, using similar language, or have repeated or similar spelling or grammatical errors, said CCCS.
Business Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
CCCS takes action against car groomer Lambency Detailing for posting fake AI-generated reviews
[SINGAPORE] The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has taken regulatory action against car grooming service Lambency Detailing for posting false consumer reviews generated by artificial intelligence (AI) on automotive marketplace CCCS said on Thursday (Jul 3) that Quantum Globe, the company that owns and operates Lambency Detailing, admitted to posting fake five-star reviews written by ChatGPT over the last two years. 'This is the second fake review case that CCCS has uncovered, and the first case involving both a third-party platform and the use of AI to create these fake reviews,' said CCCS' chief executive Alvin Koh. In 2024, Loft Home Furnishing, a furniture company, received a warning for publishing fake five-star product reviews on its website. Businesses posting fake customer reviews is an unfair trade practice, the regulator said, as consumers might be misled into thinking that the product is more well-received than it actually is, and thus make misinformed purchase decisions. Quantum Globe will stop posting fake reviews; remove fake reviews on within eight working days; notify customers whose details were used in the false postings between October 2024 and January 2025; and publish notices for six-months informing consumers that it had posted fake reviews, among other actions. The firm's director, Matthew Lim Jun Ho, has also undertaken to CCCS that he will not engage in any unfair trade practice, or facilitate any business under his control to do so. The regulator began an investigation in January after a customer complained that reviews were posted under her name on It revealed that seven other Lambency Detailing customers were affected, with fake reviews – using their names, vehicle registration numbers and photographs – being posted without consent.
AsiaOne
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- AsiaOne
Car detailing shop admits using ChatGPT to write fake 5-star reviews on sgCarMart , Singapore News
The owner of a local automotive detailer has admitted to generating fake five-star customer reviews and posting them on its business page on popular online car platform sgCarMart for the last two years. This comes after the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) launched an investigation into Lambency Detailing in January, following a customer complaint regarding unauthorised reviews using her name. In a media release on Thursday (July 3), the consumer watchdog said it confirmed with seven other Lambency Detailing customers that false reviews containing their names, car plate numbers, and photographs of their vehicles had been posted on sgCarMart without their consent. CCCS said it also used digital technology and algorithms in its investigations, which found mass postings of suspicious five-star reviews on sgCarMart on certain dates. When shown evidence, Holding company Quantum Globe, which owns and operates Lambency Detailing, admitted to having used their customers' information without their knowledge or consent to create the reviews. Submitted through a QR code provided by users did not need a prior account with Facebook, or Google to leave reviews on businesses. Quantum Globe also admitted that it had used ChatGPT to generate customised content based on the services each customer received. The operator has agreed to stop posting fake reviews and set up a feedback channel for six months to allow the reporting of any fake reviews on sgCarMart. It has also agreed to notify customers whose details were used in reviews posted by Quantum Globe as well as publish notices on sgCarMart and any online platforms it uses for marketing for a six-month period, to inform customers it had posted fake reviews and alert them of the feedback channel. Lastly, the business has also agreed to remove any fake reviews on sgCarMart within eight working days, including the seven reviews identified by CCCS during investigations. Quantum Globe director Matthew Lim has also given an undertaking to CCCS that he will not engage in any unfair trade practice or facilitate any business under his control to do so, said the consumer watchdog. Second fake review case: CCCS SGCM, which owns and operates sgCarMart, has also informed CCCS it is exploring additional verification measures like SMS or email confirmation to enhance the integrity and authenticity of submitted reviews. CCCS chief executive Alvin Koh said this is the second fake review case the regulator has uncovered, and the first involving both a third-party platform and the use of AI. "When businesses post fake reviews to boost their ratings and popularity, they poison the well of consumer trust," he elaborated. "Such deceptive practices, also known as 'dark patterns', not only mislead consumers but also disadvantage honest competing businesses." The public can report cases of unfair trade practices to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) at 6277 5100 or 'Actively reviewing our content': Lambency Detailing In a Facebook post on Thursday, Lambency Detailing said it was found that the reviews had been posted "by a staff member on behalf of customers, without their explicit knowledge or consent". The detailer said it takes such matters very seriously, and that misrepresentation of customer feedback does not reflect the standards it strives to maintain. It added that it has implemented stricter internal controls and staff training to prevent similar occurrences and will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. "We are actively reviewing our content and strengthening our internal processes," said the business. "We appreciate your continued trust as we work to uphold high standards of service and accountability." [[nid:719148]]
