London - A beautifully restored boat serving Michelin-starred food. Divers on hand to catch any fish on the menu. Countless reviews describing the cooking as “simply divine”.
This restaurant almost sounds too good to be true. Trouble is, it was.
Because when dozens of foodies headed down to sample the “mind-blowing” food at Oscar’s after reading its glowing reviews on TripAdvisor, all they found was an alleyway full of bins.
The restaurant had never existed. Instead, the would-be diners had fallen victim to an online prank designed to expose the failings of the review website.
A disgruntled businessman said he carried out the stunt because he was fed up with TripAdvisor not being policed, allowing people to write malicious reviews.
The man, who will not reveal his identity, has admitted he posted all the reviews, and even provided an email address for bookings. The site, which allows people to review restaurants, hotels and pubs, has become a major influence on the UK’s tourism industry.
But some business owners have complained of being targeted by rivals, who post fake reviews to deter their customers.
The prankster set up a profile for Oscar’s in May, using the name Oscar Parrot.
He described it as one of the best places to eat in Britain, a floating restaurant built in the hull of an old fishing boat amid reefs and shipwrecks in Brixham, Devon.
The profile boasted that staff in diving gear would swim down to catch whichever kind of fish customers wanted. It was apparently run by a couple called Colette and Alfredo, with food and decor based on el Bulli – the Spanish restaurant often named as the best in the world.
In a series of reviews, customers raved about its cooking, which “bordered on sorcery”, and described it as a “simply divine” experience. Eventually, however, the entire profile was taken down after several diners warned it was a hoax.
Its creator says he set up the bogus listing after a friend’s hotel received a barrage of criticism he suspected was from a rival.
He said: “There are many businesses that have had grudge reviews listed on TripAdvisor, mostly from a rival.
“Many of these are so blatant, any person doing a short check would see the obvious.
“The chances were better then average that Oscar’s could have sailed on for months.” The fictional venue was listed as New Quay Lane, Brixham, and the page said it moved location dependent on tide and season, making it even harder to find.
A series of reviews lavished praise on its food and decor, describing it as “perfect”, “unexpected” and “a beautiful restaurant, tastefully fitted out, amazing food and wine”.
Bookings began to flood in to the email address supplied by the prankster, and locals reported seeing confused would-be customers arrive in taxis looking for it.
But those disgruntled diners quickly began posting warnings to other visitors, telling them not to be fooled by Oscar’s. One wrote: “The restaurant does not exist. It is a spoof, as are the reviews.”
Despite that, its page went undetected for weeks. It was finally removed a few days ago.
In the three months that it was supposedly open, Oscar’s managed to climb to 29th place in a ratings list of 64 restaurants in Brixham.
TripAdvisor recently vowed to get rid of fake or defamatory postings after hoteliers and restaurateurs claimed bogus reviews were harming their trade.
But Chris Emmins, co-founder of the online reputation management firm KwikChex, said the hoax cast doubt on TripAdvisor’s ability to spot fraudulent reviews.
He said: “The listing featured over-the-top reviews for a fake business, but it went undetected for more than two months. It’s difficult to see how TripAdvisor’s system can detect elaborate fraud, if they can’t detect one like this.”
A TripAdvisor spokesperson said: “Upon investigation, as this property doesn’t meet our listing guidelines, the listing has been removed.
“With over 60 pieces of content coming in every minute, occasionally a review or business that does not meet TripAdvisor’s guidelines may slip through the cracks.
“In these rare cases, our members can report the material to us, helping maintain the high quality content of our site.” - Daily Mail
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