Google treats a review as fake when it is not based on a real experience, was paid for, comes from several accounts run by one person, or was posted by a competitor. Collect what shows that, report each review under the right reason, and appeal with your evidence if Google first says no.
What Google counts as fake
Google’s policy calls it fake engagement. It covers:
- reviews that are not based on a genuine experience;
- reviews that were paid for, in money or in kind;
- content posted from several accounts by one person, or at one person’s request;
- reviews posted on a competitor’s profile to damage it;
- reviews from people with a conflict of interest, such as current or former employees.
Notice what is missing. A review is not fake because it is wrong, exaggerated or unfair. A real customer with a harsh opinion is not fake engagement.
Signs that a review is fake
No single sign proves anything. A pattern does.
In the review itself
- It describes a product, a service or a member of staff you don’t have.
- It names the wrong location, or a day you were closed.
- It says outright that the writer never visited.
- It gives no date and no detail, only a verdict.
In the reviewer’s profile
- The same text, or nearly the same, appears on other businesses.
- Reviews of places in distant cities or countries, days apart.
- One star for you, five stars for a direct competitor.
- A run of one-star reviews for businesses of the same kind.
In the timing
- Several negative reviews within hours or days, after months of quiet.
- Reviews that start right after a dispute, a dismissal, or a post about you on social media.
- Reviews followed by a message asking for money. That is review extortion, and Google has a separate report form for it.
Evidence worth collecting
Collect it before you report. Reviews and profiles can change.
- A screenshot of each review, showing the date and the reviewer’s name.
- The direct link to each review.
- Screenshots of the reviewer’s other reviews, where they show a pattern.
- A short timeline: when the reviews appeared, and what happened just before.
- Your own records for the dates mentioned, such as bookings, orders or call logs. Keep them for the appeal, and never publish customer data.
How to report them
- Report each review. Use your Business Profile, Google Maps or the Reviews Management Tool, and pick the reason closest to the problem. For fake reviews that is usually spam or conflict of interest. Google changes the wording of these options from time to time.
- Report the profile, if the pattern is in the profile. In the Google Maps app, open the reviewer’s profile, tap More, then Report.
- Check the status after a few days. Google says assessment typically takes several days.
- Appeal if Google says no. You get one appeal, and this is where your evidence goes: the policy, the pattern, the timeline.
The full process is in how to remove a Google review.
Should you reply to a fake review?
A short, neutral reply helps, because customers will read the review for as long as it is up. Don’t accuse anyone, and don’t reveal anything about real customers.
“We take feedback seriously, but we can’t find any record of this visit. Please contact us at [email] so we can look into it.”
That tells readers the review may not be genuine, without starting an argument. There are more examples in how to respond to negative reviews.
What never to do
- Don’t answer fake with fake. Buying positive reviews, or posting on a competitor’s profile, is the same violation and puts your own profile at risk.
- Don’t pay. Not the reviewer, and not anyone who promises to make reviews vanish by other means.
- Don’t name and shame. Publicly accusing a named person can create a legal problem of your own.
Fake reviews and the law
Fake reviews are not only against Google’s rules. EU consumer law bans submitting or commissioning fake consumer reviews. The UK banned fake reviews in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, and in the United States a Federal Trade Commission rule against fake reviews took effect in 2024.
These laws are aimed mainly at the businesses and sellers behind fake reviews, and how much they help you depends on where you and the reviewer are. If an attack is serious, ask a lawyer. This guide is not legal advice.
If the reviews come in a wave
One fake review is a nuisance. Twenty in a weekend is an attack, and speed matters. Our review-attack response usually starts the same business day: every review logged with evidence, reported through Google’s official channels, and followed up until each case is closed.