Facebook Inc removed 16,000 groups for selling or buying fake reviews of products and services on its platforms, after a second prompt by UK’s competition watchdog CMA.

CMA Chief Executive Andrea Coscelli said that the pandemic has meant that more and more people are buying online, which makes fake and misleading reviews very damaging.

A representative of the social media giant said they have engaged extensively with the CMA to address this issue, emphasizing that they do not allow fraudulent and deceptive activity, including offering or trading fake reviews.

The CMA began a crackdown on false reviews in 2019 when it found evidence of a growing marketplace for misleading customer reviews on the platforms.

It then asked Facebook and e-commerce platform eBay Inc to check their websites.

Facebook has also been under scrutiny for antitrust concerns over the technology company’s acquisition of GIF website Giphy, as well as its data-sharing practices, fake news, and hate speech.