Fake 5 star reviews for MEXC on Play Store

[Oshosondy]

Is this what centralized exchanges are turning to? I was sent this notification today, but it seemed so wrong. Only what I can call these are  Google Play Store fake reviews of an exchange that I thought to be legit.

MEXC is now paying people to review for them. Only what people will go for is the money which may not even be worth $5 after thinking they will receive $100. The up to $100 had been used by exchanges to make people do what they want and be given less than 10 to 50 times the amount.

Please do not go for this.

What do you think about this?

Should the exchange be reported to Google for this so that Google can know? All that I am thinking of is for people to report the exchange.

[noorman0]

-snip-
Should the exchange be reported to Google for this so that Google can know? All that I am thinking of is for people to report the exchange.

Yes, you can report it to Google. I hope the form in the screenshot is part of the main domain to provide strong evidence that they are actually running this program.
That could be a good additional measure. I remember when Google de-indexed Cointelegraph last year. I think Google would do the same for any abuse of its ecosystem platform.

[uchegod-21]

-snip-
Should the exchange be reported to Google for this so that Google can know? All that I am thinking of is for people to report the exchange.

Yes, you can report it to Google. I hope the form in the screenshot is part of the main domain to provide strong evidence that they are actually running this program.
That could be a good additional measure. I remember when Google de-indexed Cointelegraph last year. I think Google would do the same for any abuse of its ecosystem platform.

I didn't know that google de-indexed  coin telegraph at a point. I know that google doesn't care much about all these. I was opportune to know some obvious loopholes that programmers exploit while uploading apps to the play store. And till date those loopholes are still there.
I don't think that google will act fast about this, unless there is multiple report against them. So, anyone else using MEXC with similar experience can get them reported.

Meanwhile, you can be paid to write a review and you still criticise the project just as we have seen in review campaigns in Bitcointalk.

[Stalker22]

~
Should the exchange be reported to Google for this so that Google can know? All that I am thinking of is for people to report the exchange.

Yes, this should definitely be reported because paid reviews are strictly prohibited by Google developer policies:
https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9898684?hl=en

But dont get your hopes up that Google will actually act on it.  They have allowed the Play Store to become a landfill of fake reviews and scam apps for years.

Can you prove this notification came from official MEXC channels?

[Oshosondy]

Can you prove this notification came from official MEXC channels?

I get it on the mobile app notification on my phone. If you are using the exchange, you can easily know from this image:

It is the lastest notification which you can see as the first one the top:


It is a push notification and it is there on the exchange. Probably those that are using the exchange can also post about it if they see the notification.

[FinneysTrueVision]

This is one of the strangest promotions I have seen from a major centralized exchange. Paid reviews are nothing new, but you wouldn't expect that such a well known exchange would resort to using those sorts of methods to attract new users.

MEXC might have the appearance of being legit because they are popular and have high volume but they have done some sketchy things in the past.

Last year they had a controversy with a user known as The White Whale whose funds were frozen due having “abnormal profit” from futures trading. They only changed their decision because they were publicly shamed after the case got a lot of attention on social media. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mexc-apologizes-wrongfully-freezing-3m-091233346.html

[hugeblack]

Honestly, I'd be more skeptical if a platform had hundreds of 5-star reviews with no negative ones. That's a bad sign and suggests that most of them might be paid for. Legitimate platforms get mixed reviews (both positive and negative) and handle negative reviews professionally.

[alani123]

MECX is a legit exchange, I've used them quite a bit and I can say it was a pretty convenient experience.

But this marketing tactic is unfortunate to say the least. It's not just about being against TOS, giving monetary incentives for a review is just unethical. Reviews should be given on merits. I can confidently say I'm satisfied with the product. Giving users a gentle nudge as a reminder to review you is also fine as most apps do it these days. But not based on payment because this can become very transactional.

I'm sure it's just a mistake form their side and will cease the promotion as soon as they realize it's even breaking the TOS. What can I say, marketing teams make mistakes sometimes and then other people have to pick up the pieces.

[examplens]

-snip-
Should the exchange be reported to Google for this so that Google can know? All that I am thinking of is for people to report the exchange.

Yes, you can report it to Google. I hope the form in the screenshot is part of the main domain to provide strong evidence that they are actually running this program.
That could be a good additional measure. I remember when Google de-indexed Cointelegraph last year. I think Google would do the same for any abuse of its ecosystem platform.

I think it is better to let them pay for these reviews, so when they spend a lot of money, only then report it. then g00gle will penalize them plus delete all fake reviews. A real waste of money. Why not make that lesson as painful as possible.

Meanwhile, you can be paid to write a review and you still criticise the project just as we have seen in review campaigns in Bitcointalk.

It's one thing when you want a realistic review to improve the platform, and it's quite another when you want high-rate reviews to mislead others that you're a 5-star service.

[Rikafip]

I'm sure it's just a mistake form their side and will cease the promotion as soon as they realize it's even breaking the TOS. What can I say, marketing teams make mistakes sometimes and then other people have to pick up the pieces.

I am not so sure that it's just an honest mistake.

They are quite a big exchange with years on the market, not some fresh instant exchange operated by one person doing all the work by themselves. MEXC has professionals on their payroll in charge of that, and someone greenlit this shitty campaign.

[alani123]

I'm sure it's just a mistake form their side and will cease the promotion as soon as they realize it's even breaking the TOS. What can I say, marketing teams make mistakes sometimes and then other people have to pick up the pieces.

I am not so sure that it's just an honest mistake.

They are quite a big exchange with years on the market, not some fresh instant exchange operated by one person doing all the work by themselves. MEXC has professionals on their payroll in charge of that, and someone greenlit this shitty campaign.

Let's call it what it is. It's incompetence. But they can fix it, and they better so so.
A functional exchange that is even quite big isn't going to depend on app store reviews and it's a low point for them to utilize such methods. So I'm inclined they'll be looking to fix this issue rather than have a damage to the reputation done from having people discuss this practice like we do now.

[hugeblack]

A functional exchange that is even quite big isn't going to depend on app store reviews and it's a low point for them to utilize such methods. So I'm inclined they'll be looking to fix this issue rather than have a damage to the reputation done from having people discuss this practice like we do now.

I don't think it's a good platform; it's like BitGet, which pays for spam instead of running a campaign here.
They could simply remove the "5 stars" word, and everything would be fine, since leaving a review (good/bad) doesn't violate the terms of service.

[Oshosondy]

I am not so sure that it's just an honest mistake.

They are quite a big exchange with years on the market, not some fresh instant exchange operated by one person doing all the work by themselves. MEXC has professionals on their payroll in charge of that, and someone greenlit this shitty campaign.

It is a shitty campaign and it is highly not necessary.

For other people that wants to report, just go to MEXC on Play Store, click on the 4.9 star and 272 thousand views that it has, then click on 'see all reviews' and select latest versions. You will see reviews from 9th of this month which was 3 days ago, 10th, and 11th of this month which is today. 99.999999% 5 start reviews are there. That is a solid evidence.

These are examples:





There are many more.

[noorman0]

I think it is better to let them pay for these reviews, so when they spend a lot of money, only then report it. then g00gle will penalize them plus delete all fake reviews. A real waste of money. Why not make that lesson as painful as possible.

While I don't know how the rewards will be distributed, waiting too long could potentially be detrimental to the participants if MEXC unilaterally cancels the event due to the app being taken down. lol
Their notification subject line says "...and win up to 100." I assume the prizes will be drawn among reviewers, with the prize values ​​randomly assigned.

[ultrloa]

We could read more negative feedbacks towards MEXC and that feedbacks they have on PlayStore is nothing, since its obviously came from those shills.

Some sites discussed about how unreliable or bad that exchange.

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.mexc.com

https://fraudrecoveryexperts.com/mexc-exchange-review

https://icoda.io/research/mexc-exchange-reputation-problem/

And more to be read on internet. So since they made that shitty campaign it shows how desperate they are to get positive reviews and better for people see that as big red flag then avoid that exchange.

[blockman]

I don't use mexc but I used to see a lot of influencers on my local who are promoting this. I guess that they're becoming so aggressive in their marketing and that's why they could even go far as paying reviews for a good rating in the google play store. But AFAIK, there's a fairness in there and anyone can report if there's some false reviews in it. Anyone who actually seen it can report it to playstore as given on this thread above my post. They're putting a stain to what they have already for their reputation which isn't even bad before this.

[Zaguru12]

Meanwhile, you can be paid to write a review and you still criticise the project just as we have seen in review campaigns in Bitcointalk.

That’s actually possible in a platform like this forum, for exchanges like MEXC the instructions is clear, you’re not only doing any review but a five star rated review and you know proves will be shown before you get rewarded. So you cannot post negative and get paid for it.

Personally I am not surprised seeing MEXC taking this step, any one that has actually been using them for trading will definitely how dishonest and bad the exchange is. I think there is growing list of bad reviews on social platforms and this is actually a way to fight that back to them.

[coupable]

What MEXC did is terrible and pure dishonesty. But who didn't? Many other exchangers pay for positive reviews, especially on the Play Store, knowing that nobody will check the quality of the published reviews. If MEXC run a camapign in public (which is strange idea imo), others buy the reviews directly from some losers offering shilling services.

Thank you OP for raising this up, I hope it will find an echo within the crypto communities. Users shouldn't be satisfied by only one source to check the professionalism of a certain service. Other rating platforms would give better accurate results.

As for Google, I don't expect too much from their side. They should have been aware of how the Play Store became a shilling space to promote fake reputation. In any case, there is no harm in reporting the case to them in the hope that this will help speed up their response to interact.

[uchegod-21]

Meanwhile, you can be paid to write a review and you still criticise the project just as we have seen in review campaigns in Bitcointalk.

That’s actually possible in a platform like this forum, for exchanges like MEXC the instructions is clear, you’re not only doing any review but a five star rated review and you know proves will be shown before you get rewarded. So you cannot post negative and get paid for it.

That's true. It was stated as a 5 star review, which means it must be a positive review. And showing evidence of review before payment makes it more dubious. So, a reviewer must not go against MEXC if they are to be paid. This is a dishonest act.

I have seen sometimes in Bitcointalk where people were paid to leave a Trustpilot review. I think that account was later flagged for a dishonest behaviour.

Personally I am not surprised seeing MEXC taking this step, any one that has actually been using them for trading will definitely how dishonest and bad the exchange is. I think there is growing list of bad reviews on social platforms and this is actually a way to fight that back to them.

For this campaign to be successful, that means there are hundred other projects doing what MEXC has done and have never been caught. This isn't obvious the first incident. So, from henceforth we should be skeptical of google play reviews.

[Potato Chips]

TBH, I am fine with platforms inviting folks to write a review about their service so far, however you should give them freedom on what they will write-- it can include both positive and negative statements, and the rate could be anything, in this case anything from 1-5 stars.

But telling folks to only give five stars is a different story as there is no freedom in that. Folks who had a negative experience would just drop a five star.

I'll try and send in a report, but I'm not hopeful on the result. It will be better if others file a report as well for extra exposure.