Online reviews are crucial for business success, but their importance has given rise to unethical practices. “Bad actors” like scammers and competitors write fake negative reviews or even offer to do so for a fee, trying to harm your business reputation and sales. These unjust reviews can undermine years of hard work. It’s vital to address, report, and try to remove fake reviews promptly to protect your reputation.

Addressing fake reviews is essential for protecting your business online reputation, customer trust, sales, and overall success. By actively monitoring reviews, reporting fraudulent ones, and encouraging genuine feedback from satisfied customers, you can mitigate the impact of fake reviews.

In this post we’ll discuss how to combat fake negative reviews and protect your online reputation.

The Impact of Fake Reviews. How They Can Harm Your Business

Fake reviews can have severe consequences for your businesses. Here’s how:

1. Customer Perception. Unfortunately, fake reviews can heavily influence potential customers’ perceptions of a business. Studies have shown that consumers are more likely to avoid businesses with poor reviews, regardless of the legitimacy of those reviews. Not all customers can easily spot fake reviews, and often think of them as legitimate feedback from previous customers. Also, some customers can judge business by the average star rating without reading the feedback.
2. Traffic, Sales and Revenue. A drop in customer trust because of fake reviews can directly impact foot or online traffic to your business, sales and revenue. Potential customers who are deterred by negative reviews might choose to go to competitors, leading to a significant loss of business.
3. Search Engine Rankings (SEO) and Online Presence. Online reviews are a critical component of a business’s search engine optimization (SEO). Negative reviews can lower a business ranking on search engines like Google or Bing, making it harder for potential customers to find your product or service.
4. Brand Image. Consistently negative reviews can tarnish a your brand image, making it difficult to attract new loyal customers and retain existing ones. A damaged reputation can take a long time and cost to rebuild and can result in lasting negative consequences.

In addition to these effects, fake fraudulent reviews can also demoralize your team, causing frustration and disengagement among employees who see their hard work being unfairly tarnished. They can also lead to increased costs as you might need to invest more money in marketing and reputation management to combat the damage and facilitate positive reviews from real customers. In addition, the presence of fake reviews can complicate your ability to collect honest customer feedback, making it harder to identify genuine areas for improvement. That’s why, addressing fake reviews promptly and fast is crucial for maintaining both internal morale and external credibility.

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Fake Reviews Come at High Cost for Businesses

According to the World Economic Forum, online reviews are projected to influence $3.8 trillion in global e-commerce spending. The issue of fake reviews has become so severe that in 2023, the FTC announced plans to work toward banning fake reviews and testimonials.

One of our clients has been dealing with the same individual posting fake reviews over several years across various platforms like Google Maps, Yelp, Glassdoor, and other. This person, who had history of erratic behavior and legal troubles, was hired despite warnings from others. Instead of being grateful, he was confrontational, was caught stealing tools, and finally was fired.

While it’s common for a disgruntled former employee to share their side of the story through online review, this individual has held a grudge for years, engaging in fake negative review “bombing” from various fake accounts every few months.

For this business, as with many others, dealing with fake reviews comes at high cost. Resources must be allocated for reputation management services, whether handled in-house or by hiring professionals to monitor, remove, and respond to fraudulent reviews. Legal fees and advice are another concern, as it is often difficult to prove who is behind these reviews due to internet anonymity, even when all the evidence points to a competitor or, as in this case, a former disgruntled employee.

Companies can lose sales and revenue because fake reviews confuse customers, affect web traffic, and harm brand perception. Additionally, they must invest more in marketing to compensate for lost revenue and protect reputation.

Online Reviews Breakdown. Over 23% of Online Reviews are Likely Fake

According to RetainTrust research analyzing online reviews across platforms like Google, Yelp, Glassdoor, Trustpilot, and TripAdvisor, approximately 23% of reviews are suspected to be fraudulent.

Online Reviews Breakdown	%
Genuine Reviews	53
Poorly Written Reviews	24
Suspected Fake Reviews	23

The prevalence of fraudulent reviews, as highlighted by our research across major platforms such as Google, Yelp, Glassdoor, Trustpilot, and TripAdvisor, points to the challenges businesses face in maintaining the authenticity of online feedback. As consumers increasingly rely on reviews to make informed decisions, the integrity of these platforms become critical.

The Significance of Online Reviews By the Numbers

Establishing a successful business requires years of dedication and significant investments, but just a few negative and fake reviews can damage your online reputation and impact your sales.

Here’s data illustrating the impact of review networks on customer decision-making:

• More than 90% of shoppers check reviews before buying online or in stores, with 65% saying reviews heavily influence their final buying decisions.
• Better online reviews can boost sales by up to 60%, especially in e-commerce where good reviews lead to higher click-through-rates (CTR) and more purchases.
• For B2B buyers, research shows over 70% clients thoroughly research companies before reaching out. This includes web searches, referrals, online reviews, and case studies.
• When job hunting, 70% of candidates would avoid companies with bad reviews. Many would turn down interviews or job offers if a company has too many low ratings from current and former employees on sites like Glassdoor or Indeed.

For example, one of our software clients experienced a 30% increase in their close rate thanks to positive online reviews on platforms like Capterra and G2, as well as traditional business and local networks such as Google My Business and Trustpilot. Many new clients mentioned these favorable reviews as a key factor in choosing their technology over competitors.

Same, eCommerce client saw over a 25% boost in shopping cart sales and reduced abandonment rates following improved reviews and getting rid of fake ones on shopping networks and review aggregator sites.

And when it comes to job recruitment, a staffing agency client observed increase in job applicants when their reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed improved to an average rating of over 4 stars.

Many businesses find managing and replying to online reviews across various networks time consuming. However, the data above shows that in today’s world maintaining a good online reputation and combating fake and unjust reviews should be a top priority for any business.

Mechanics of Negative Review Scams

Scammers frequently use freelance platforms, social media, and dark web markets to offer their services at remarkably low prices. For as little as $4, less than a cup of coffee in the US, they offer to publish fake negative reviews on major platforms such as Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor. These reviews are meticulously crafted to appear genuine, complicating both businesses and customers ability to distinguish between real and fake feedback, and make it hard to report and take down.

From the screenshot above, this site was found on Google, in organic results! You might think scammers operate exclusively on the ‘dark web’ and that you need to ‘know a guy who knows a guy’ to reach out to them. But no, they operate openly in web discussions on Medium, Reddit, Quora and rank well on search engines like Google and Bing. In fact, as part of the review industry, we even received offers via email and social media to purchase fake reviews.

Motivations Behind Fake Negative Reviews and Scams

Negative review scams and fake reviews can come from various motivations, each aimed at undermining a business’s reputation and financial stability.

1. Competitor Sabotage. Competitors can do it themselves or hire scammers to post fake negative reviews to gain an unfair advantage. By tarnishing a rival’s reputation, they hope to attract dissatisfied customers to their own business.
2. Extortion. Some scammers post negative reviews and then contact and demand payment from the targeted business to remove them. This form of extortion preys on the business owners desire to protect its reputation. Often they look for businesses that proactively manage their pages, monitor and respond to all reviews.
3. Personal Vendettas. Individuals with a personal grudge against a business, business owners, or employees may write or hire scammers to post negative reviews as a form of retaliation. Also, it can be former clients, vendors, disgruntled employees.

It’s important to identify motivations why someone posted fake feedback and present it as evidence when flagging and reporting those reviews.

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Types of Platforms Where Scammers and “Bad Actors” Can Post Fake Online Reviews

From our experience, scammers and spammers frequently target popular business with the highest traffic and good reputation. Competitors aiming to harm your reputation often choose high visibility review sites like Google My Business (Google Maps) or Yelp. Additionally, competitors often target niche sites where your offerings are compared directly with theirs. Meanwhile, disgruntled employees or individuals with personal grudges tend to post negative content on professional sites like Glassdoor or on social media.

How to Spot Fake Reviews. Unveiling Common Types of Fake Online Reviews for Businesses

Identifying and understanding the various forms of fake online reviews can help businesses navigate and combat their impact effectively:

1. Poorly Written Reviews. Reviews with grammatical errors, content that doesn’t make sense, or incoherent language may signal fake reviews written in hurry, not putting too much thought, or by individuals not proficient in the language.
2. Broad and Too Generic Feedback. Reviews that are overly broad or lack specific details about products, services, or real customer experiences may be indicators of fake reviews. Sometimes those reviews have as little feedback as “bad customer service”, or “this company is scam”, or nothing written at all but 1 star rating. Genuine reviews typically include specific information relevant to the customer real interaction.
3. Bot and AI Generated Reviews. Reviews generated by AI automated bots with lack authentic human experiences and often use generic repetitive language. These reviews can appear in large numbers within a short period, with goal to manipulate ratings.
4. Non Genuine Reviews. These reviews do not reflect real customer real experiences and may be vague, overly positive or negative without specific details.
5. Dishonest Reviews. Reviews containing false information or even lies about a business can severely damage its reputation. These reviews may be motivated by personal vendettas, competition, or extortion.
6. Multiple Accounts. Individuals or entities create multiple fake profiles to post reviews, inflating or deflating a business ratings. This tactic aims to deceive potential customers about a business’s reputation and star ratings. Those accounts often new, have no history writing previous reviews, don’t appear to be active in the future.
7. Sudden Influx of Reviews. A sudden surge in reviews, especially if they are uniformly positive or negative, can indicate orchestrated efforts to manipulate public opinion and ratings. These reviews often lack consistency or genuine feedback.

Understanding these common types of fake reviews helps businesses to proactively monitor and address fraudulent feedback, safeguarding their online reputation and maintaining trust with customers.

Example of a Fake Review on a Business Network

A typical fake review that came from “PK” (Pakistan), a location where the business doesn’t operate. The review has generic text, grammar mistakes, and irrelevant information, and came from a non-established account. It appeared together with other similar reviews around the same time. To avoid detection, scammer gave 2 stars knowing that 1 star reviews may raise more suspicion of being fake.

Reasons Why Review Sites Approve Policy-Violating Fake Reviews

When scammers and “bad actors” submit fake reviews, they exploit the fact that review networks handle thousands of reviews daily, making it easy for moderators and automated systems to miss and accidentally approve fraudulent content. These scammers often use multiple accounts and create new tactics to bypass moderation. Once they identify a vulnerability, they flood the network with more fake reviews until the issue is detected and the review policies are updated. This is why it’s important for business owners to regularly monitor their online presence and flag any problematic and suspected fake reviews.

Combating Fake Negative Reviews and Scams

As online reviews make big impact to influence over consumer decisions, businesses must be vigilant in monitoring and managing their online presence and fight fake reviews:

1. Monitoring Reviews. Businesses should regularly monitor their reviews across all platforms to quickly identify and address any suspicious activity.
2. Reporting Fraudulent Reviews. Most review platforms have ways for reporting fraudulent and fake reviews. Businesses can take advantage of these tools to flag, challenge and remove questionable reviews.
3. Encouraging Genuine Reviews. By encouraging loyal customers to leave positive reviews, businesses can help ensure that genuine feedback outweighs any negativity.
4. Legal Action. In some cases, businesses may need to pursue legal advice and action against individuals or entities engaging in defamatory practices.

Taking proactive steps such as monitoring reviews, flagging unjust and fake reviews, and collecting genuine customer feedback can mitigate the impact of fake negative reviews. By addressing these challenges systematically, businesses can protect their reputation and maintain trust with customers.

How to Report and Remove Fake Reviews from Online Platforms

Flagging and reporting fake reviews involves a systematic approach to ensure they are addressed effectively. Every review network has different ways on how to report questionable reviews. Here’s a general guide to help you report fake reviews across different platforms:

1. Identify Fake or Review in Question
   • Analyze the Content. Look for common signs of a fake review, such as overly negative language, bad grammar and mistakes, lack of specific details about the product or service, or inconsistencies in the reviewer’s history.
   • Check Reviewer Profile. Investigate the reviewer’s profile to see if they have a pattern of leaving similar negative reviews, or if their account seems suspiciously new, or there multiple similar accounts interconnected with each other.
     
2. Gather Evidence
   • Document the Review in Question. Take screenshots of the fake review and any additional relevant details that may support your claim. For example communication record, transaction logs, reviews on other platforms written by the same individual.
   • Collect Supporting Information. Gather any additional evidence that shows the review is not genuine or fake, such as proof that the reviewer never interacted with your business in the past.
     
3. Report the Review
   • Locate How to Report. Find the reporting or flagging tool or link on the review platform. This is typically found next to or below the review, or go to “contact us” or “support” page.
   • Research Platform Guidelines. Each platform has its own content rules and guidelines for reporting reviews. Make sure to follow these guidelines closely to ensure your report is considered and increase chances for successful removal.
   • Provide Specific Details and Evidence. Clearly and professionally explain why the review is fake and provide any evidence you have. Be very specific and concise in your explanation for moderators to take a second look.
     
4. Submit Your Report
   • Complete the Submission. Follow prompts to complete the report submission process. This may include filling out a form or selecting specific reasons or categories for the report.
   • Keep Records. Save a copy of your report submission and any correspondence with the platform for future reference, some platforms have appealing processes if they denied your original request. Also, you might have another attempt in the future by providing more evidence that the review is fake.
     
5. Follow Up
   • Monitor the Status of Your Report. Keep an eye on the status of your report. Platforms may take time to review and respond to it. Often it can take from 2 to 5 business days to get reply. However, some platforms might never follow up and remove or keep the review.
   • Contact Support. If the review is not removed promptly or if you do not receive a response, try contacting the platform support for further help.

Following these steps can significantly increase your chances of successfully removing fake reviews.

Tips for Effective Reporting of Fake Reviews

Here for best practices and tips for effective reporting of fake reviews and increase chances for successful removal:

1. Gather Evidence. Collect screenshots, transaction records, or communication logs that support your claim.
2. Be Specific. Clearly articulate why the review is fraudulent and detail how it violates the platform rules.
3. Follow Up. If the review isn’t removed, reach out to the platform’s support team for additional assistance.
4. Persistence Pays. Stay persistent in your efforts to have the fake review addressed, sometimes it takes several attempts to take it down.
5. Maintain Professionalism. Approach all communications with the platform’s moderators in professional manner to maximize your chances of a positive outcome.

Keep in mind that review networks are typically monitored by real human moderators who review reports to determine if reviews are real or fake, and whether they violate the platform’s guidelines. By following the steps listed above, you can improve your chances of persuading moderators to support your case.

Mistakes to Avoid While Dealing with Fake Reviews

Dealing with fake reviews requires a strategic approach to avoid common mistakes:

1. Insufficient Evidence and Emotional Appeals. It’s crucial to gather evidence before reporting a fake review. Emotional appeals or reacting impulsively can weaken your case when moderators review it. It makes it harder to convince review platforms to take action.
2. Posting Fake Positive Reviews. Attempting to counteract negative reviews with fake positive ones can backfire. Review platforms have sophisticated algorithms and moderation processes that can detect inauthentic reviews, leading to penalties and loss of credibility. The worst can happen, your fake (and even some genuine ones) positive reviews will be taken down but the fake ones will stay.
3. Avoid Replying to Fake Reviews. Engaging with fake reviews through replies is generally discouraged. Responding defensively or sarcastically can accidentally validate the fake review in the eyes of potential customers.
   • Also, by replying to fake review, you add weight to it, platform’s algorithms might start showing it on the top as more relevant and featured, and it will be picked up and rank better by search engines as well. Instead, focus on flagging and reporting fake reviews through the platform’s official channels.
4. Don’t Retaliate or Escalate. All fake reviews should be promptly flagged and reported using the platform’s designated reporting tools. Avoid the temptation to engage directly with the reviewer or retaliate, as this can escalate the situation.

By navigating these challenges and following best practices, businesses can effectively manage and remove fake reviews while preserving their online credibility and customer trust.

What to Do If a Fake Review Can’t Be Removed?

If you find that a fake review cannot be removed through the usual reporting channels on the platform, there are several steps you can take. First, try escalating your case within the review platform’s support team. Sometimes, a different department or higher authority can assess the situation and take actions. If this doesn’t work, consider seeking legal advice, especially if the fake review crosses into defamation and violates laws.

Also, investing in online reputation management services can be beneficial. These services specialize in minimizing the impact of negative online content including fake reviews and promoting positive aspects of your business. It’s also important to encourage satisfied and loyal customers to leave their positive reviews, which can help offset the effect of any fake reviews.

Can I Pay or Sponsor the Network To Remove Bad Reviews?

While most review platforms prioritize maintaining integrity by not removing reviews for their sponsors, some networks, unfortunately, may hide, bury, or delete negative reviews for paying customers. It raises ethical concerns and questions, yet there has been no significant legal action taken against platforms that engage in such practices thus far.

Many reputation management companies and advisors can assist with navigating various review platforms. They can advise on which review networks are worth sponsoring and where it is better to maintain a free profile. They also help with flagging and reporting reviews on a regular basis.

Why You Should Never Respond to Extortion Attempts or Pay Scammers to Remove Fake Reviews

If you encounter scammers who post fake reviews and demand payment for their removal, avoid responding or paying them. Often they target multiple businesses randomly and wait for response. Engaging with these scammers can have negative consequences:

• Creating a Lead. By responding to their email or call, you become a “goto” contact person for them. This can lead to more harassment and additional fake reviews.
• Escalating the Problem. Paying the scammers might not resolve the issue. Instead, it could encourage them to continue targeting your business or even sell your information to other scammers, leading to more fake reviews and extortion attempts.

The best way to deal is to ignore these scammers. By not engaging they might simply move on and leave you alone, this way you reduce the risk of further attacks and avoid validating their tactics.

Fake Review Response Examples. How to Reply to Fraudulent Negative Reviews

Engaging with fake reviews through replies is generally discouraged because responding defensively or sarcastically can inadvertently validate the review in the eyes of potential customers. Moreover, responding to a fake review can inadvertently increase its visibility, because platform’s algorithms may see interaction as activity and elevate its prominence. Additionally, search engines might rank it higher due to increased activity and visibility within the platform.

However, if you have exhausted all attempts to flag and remove the review and still feel compelled to respond, it’s important to do so professionally without risking your reputation or causing concern among future customers who might read it.

In your response to a fake review, highlight the fact that there is no record of a transaction, interaction, or service with the person in question. This approach will show other customers that the review likely came from someone who is not a genuine or real customer.

Examples of How to Reply to Fake Reviews Diplomatically

Example #1:

“Thank you for sharing your feedback. We take all customer reviews seriously. Upon reviewing our records, we couldn’t find any transactions or interactions matching your feedback. Please feel free to reach out to our customer service team at [contact information] so we can resolve this matter promptly. Thank you for understanding.”

Example #2:

“We appreciate your feedback, unfortunately we are unable to identify your visit based on the information provided. We are dedicated to providing exceptional service and experiences to all our patrons. Please reach out to us directly at [contact information] so we can work towards a resolution. Thank you for your understanding and for allowing us to address this.”

Example #3:

“Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Ensuring our guests have a positive experience is our priority, and we take feedback seriously. However, after reviewing our records, we couldn’t find any bookings or interactions matching your feedback. Please contact us at [contact information] so we can investigate further and address any issues. We appreciate your understanding and hope to hear from you soon.”

Example #4:

“Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. We are dedicated to delivering exceptional service to all our customers. Upon thorough review of our records, we are unable to verify your visit or interaction with our establishment. Please connect with our customer support team at [contact information] so we can assist you personally.”

For more examples on managing and responding to negative reviews, check out our other blog post: Responding to Negative Reviews Online.

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Why Hiring a Professional Reputation Management Company to Handle Fake Reviews is a Smart Move

Dealing with fake reviews can be challenging and, without experience, things might escalate and worsen your reputation. Managing your business takes a lot of time and effort, and fake reviews can disrupt your work and impact your employees. To effectively remove negative reviews and minimize their damage, you need to understand the rules and communicate properly with review networks.

That’s where a professional reputation management company can help. They can identify, flag, and report fake reviews, and have the expertise to handle different review sites. If necessary, they can also support your legal team to protect your company from defamation and harm.

How RetainTrust Can Help You Deal with Fake Reviews

With years of experience, RetainTrust assisted hundreds of clients in removing fake and negative reviews from platforms like Google Maps, Yelp, Trustpilot, Glassdoor, Indeed, and more. Contact us to discover how we can help eliminate fake reviews and protect your business.