NY cracks down on fake reviews

The NYT has the story:

“What we’ve found is even worse than old-fashioned false advertising,” said Eric T. Schneiderman, the New York attorney general. “When you look at a billboard, you can tell it’s a paid advertisement — but on Yelp or Citysearch, you assume you’re reading authentic consumer opinions, making this practice even more deceiving.”

Circumventing consumers' skepticism about ads can help credibility--which is why regulators don't like it.