The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) names six “dark patterns” on its consumer pages: fake reviews, fake ranking, sneak into basket, subscription traps, false urgency and hidden costs. Each one can make you pay more, or sign up for something, without meaning to, and each has a quick check you can run before you pay. CCS’s page was last updated on 9 October 2026. In our reading, these tactics work because each puts a decision in front of you when you are least able to compare: when the basket is already full or a timer is already running.
What are the six practices, in CCS’s words?
These descriptions come from CCS’s page “Know More About Dark Patterns”. Under most headings CCS also lists cases it has acted on.
- Fake reviews: businesses may manipulate reviews, for example “by posing as customers to give 5-star reviews about their own products, or deleting negative reviews put up by genuine customers”. CCS lists cases including Loft Home Furnishing and its action against 45 businesses and a fake review provider.
- Fake ranking (also called false hierarchy): “Businesses may present certain product options to look more appealing or superior, to nudge consumers into choosing them.” CCS says consumers may end up paying for premium features they do not need, and gives the example of a “best value” label on options that are not the best value. It lists its case on Agoda’s website here.
- Sneak into basket: “When businesses add items or subscriptions to your shopping cart without clearly telling you (e.g. using pre-ticked boxes), hoping you won’t notice it before your payment.” CCS lists its cases on Courts and on Fashion Interactive.
- Subscription trap: businesses “make it very easy to start a subscription but make it unnecessarily difficult or confusing to cancel”, for example a free trial that is easy to start but where cancelling may mean visiting the business in person.
- False urgency: “CCS is concerned if there is no reasonable basis for businesses to make urgency or scarcity claims. Businesses must be prepared to back up any urgency or scarcity claims made.” Its example is “Hurry! 7 other people are looking at this right now. Only 2 units left”.
- Hidden costs: “Businesses show a low headline price to entice consumers.” After a long purchase process, shoppers find mandatory fees only at the checkout page.
What does sneak into basket look like in practice?
CCS’s release of 8 December 2025 on Courts and PRISM+ gives a concrete case. During certain promotion periods, Courts’ website automatically added items to consumers’ carts without seeking their consent; in one example, an Acer vacuum cleaner was added after a consumer selected an Apple iPad. Courts gave CCS an undertaking to stop and agreed to refund affected customers. CCS’s advice in the same release is to “review their shopping cart for unexpected items” and “verify that payment amounts match intended purchases”.
How do I run a six-point check at checkout?
- Reviews: read the lowest-rated reviews. Check whether they are dated, specific and about the product you are buying.
- Ranking: ask whether the option marked “recommended” or “best value” is the cheapest one that meets your need.
- Basket: before paying, scroll the basket for anything you did not add, especially subscriptions and protection plans. CCS’s price transparency guidelines encourage sellers to leave optional add-ons for you to tick, but not every seller does.
- Cancel path: find out how to cancel before you sign up. If you cannot see how, do not start.
- Urgency: ask what a timer or stock count is based on. Our check on fake countdowns and stock counts gives the steps, built from CCS’s May 2026 cases.
- Total: read the total at the last step, including every mandatory fee, and compare it with the headline price. Our year-end total price check shows how.
What does a worked example look like? (illustrative, fictional)
Suppose a fictional kettle has a headline price of S$89. At checkout, a mandatory “service fee” of S$6.90 appears. A “protection plan” of S$12 is ticked by default. If the protection plan stays ticked, the total is S$107.90. If it is unticked, the total is S$95.90. The headline price was S$89, the lowest total is S$95.90 and the default total is S$107.90. The S$12 between the default and the lowest total is the add-on, and the S$6.90 between the headline and the lowest total is the hidden cost.
Common questions
Is every add-on a dark pattern?
No. CCS’s concern is items added without clearly telling you. In the Courts case it said its concern does not apply to free gifts added to the cart, since consumers are not charged for them, and an add-on you actively choose is your own decision.
Is a ‘recommended’ label always a dark pattern?
No. CCS says fake ranking can be subtle and benign, such as brighter colours for premium options, or clearly misleading, such as a “best value” label on an option that is not. The check is whether the label matches your need.
What does “reasonable basis” mean?
It is CCS’s own phrase for the test it applies to urgency and scarcity claims. It tells you what the regulator is concerned about, not what a court would decide in a particular case.
For the wider routine, read the online shopping scams checks. The free trial cancel-path test shows how to check a subscription before you agree to it. The fake reviews article covers the first tactic in more depth, before you check out lists the records to keep, and the consumer rights guide covers what to do after a purchase.
Sources
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