Fake recommendations on the forum - an overview

[Administrator]

If you know of any fake recommendations please PM me or report the message. All reports are treated confidentially.

It rarely happens but I have just had to warn another company, a cleaning company, about posting fake recommendations on the forum. Using a business because of recommendations is based on trust and abuse of that trust on the forum is not tolerated. Lying and being dishonest to aquire business was made illegal in 2006 under the Fraud Act, under the heading of Fraud by false representation. I will not bore you with all the details but the relevant bit is this:

Fraud Act 2006 (c. 35)

2 Fraud by false representation

(1) A person is in breach of this section if he?

(a) dishonestly makes a false representation, and

(b) intends, by making the representation?

(i) to make a gain for himself or another

A representation is false if?

(a) it is untrue or misleading

Therefore Mr Builder registering as a user and posting "I used Mr Builder and he was great" is illegal. Anyone found abusing the forum in this way will be banned, they and/or their business will be shamed on the forum and we will assist anyone who wishes to take legal action against them. We may also issue them with a Chinese burn or a wedgee, probably not but this post sounds so serious I thought I should end on a lighter note.