Normative Review of Fake Order Practices in e-Commerce: An Examination Through Islamic and Indonesian Legal Frameworks

This study analyzes business actors who use fake order marketing strategies from the perspective of Islamic law and consumer protection law in Indonesia. It also examines the strategies of e-commerce platforms in addressing these practices through internal policies and rating systems from the same legal perspectives. E-commerce, as a rapidly growing digital marketplace, connects consumers and companies through technology and applications, offering convenience in transactions but also creating risks, such as buyers’ inability to inspect goods directly. This reliance on reviews and ratings has enabled the rise of fake orders—deliberate fictitious transactions and reviews aimed at boosting store reputations, manipulating consumer perceptions, and inflating sales metrics. Such practices distort market fairness and mislead consumers, raising ethical and legal issues.Using a qualitative method grounded in normative legal and ethnographic approaches, data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation, and analyzed inductively. From the perspective of Islamic law, fake orders are invalid because they do not fulfill the pillars and conditions of the ijārah bil al-amāl contract, as the services purchased lack direct and lawful benefits. Under Indonesian consumer protection law, fake orders violate consumer rights and breach business actors’ obligations. Platform strategies studied adhere to Islamic principles and comply with the Information and Electronic Transactions Law (UU ITE).