A South Devon restaurant is at the centre of a TripAdvisor investigation after it received dozens of glowing reviews – when it does not even exist.
Oscar's, said to be a restored fishing vessel transformed into a floating restaurant where customers can lounge around over shipwrecks and reefs while the owners dive for your seafood dishes, first appeared on the review website in May.
After receiving a string of glowing reviews, the ghost restaurant climbed above 37 other genuine eateries in the port in the rankings.
The listing for Oscar's remained in place throughout May, June and July until the online review site was alerted that the restaurant was not all it seemed.
Chris Emmins, co-founder of the online reputation management firm KwikChex, said the listing 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."
Amongst the reviews the non-existent restaurant received were over-the-top comments praising its "mind-blowing", "simply divine" "perfect" and "amazing" culinary creations. There were even calls for the restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star.
In response to criticism from hoteliers and restaurateurs, who claim that many of Trip-Advisor's anonymous reviews are either fake or defamatory, the internet giant recently launched a new crackdown on questionable posts.
When attempting to access the TripAdvisor's reviews of the fake Brixham restaurant, you are now redirected to a genuine page on restaurants in the port and beyond.
Of the listing for Oscar's, a spokesman for TripAdvisor 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 Trip-Advisor's guidelines may slip through the cracks, and in these rare cases, our members can report the material to us, helping maintain the high quality content of our site."