What happens when you find out somebody has been posting fake reviews? How do you report review fraud to license boards without getting blowback or breaking any laws yourself? Let's take a look at how digital marketers need to deal with this tricky situation.
What is review fraud and why should it be reported
Review fraud is when fake reviews are paid for and posted on a business listing. These deceptive marketing practices hurt consumers trying to make a purchasing decision based on the qualifications of a given business or professionals.
How to report review fraud to the Federal Trade Commission
step 1. https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/assistant
step 2. "something else"
step 3. fill in the details and provide evidence of review fraud
How to report review fraud to your state's Department of Consumer Protection
step 1. https://www.usa.gov/state-consumer
step 2. find the state & type of licensing board
step 3. fill out the complaint and provide evidence of review fraud
How to report review fraud to your state's licensing board
step 1. https://www.bmcc.edu/sites/default/files/bmccstatebystatelicensure.pdf
step 2. find the state & type of licensing board
step 3. fill out the complaint and provide evidence of review fraud
Why it's important that people report others for this type of fraudulent activity
It takes a lot of energy to stimulate change. In today's environment, companies using fake positive reviews aren't being punished. If you've been ripped off by a company using fake reviews, they need to be reported and disciplinary action needs to be taken, otherwise, more and more consumers will get hurt. This is arms control, your taking the ammunition away from bad people.
How you can protect yourself from being reported by others
Don't purchase fake reviews. Create a GMB Help thread immediately if you're getting fake positive/negative reviews consistently, so they can be addressed by Google Product Experts.
Ever wondered how people remove fake reviews on Google Maps? I'm sure that's a question that is on your mind if you are reading this. Well, look no more! All of the answers are right here. The Google My Business community has been an incredible resource for consumers and digital marketers just like you and me.
Learn how to activate the GMB Help Community today!
Before we get started:
Use an alias when calling out spammers
It's very important that when you use alias and anonymity when publicly calling out review spammers. I'm going to share a story with you, about a famous review spammer who called out a large network of fake reviews and listings. This Russian spammer decided to go after not only his business but his client's businesses that were listed on his website. It took them months to remove the damage that the review spammer caused, so I urge you to be cautious when publicly calling out fake reviewers.
What are Google Product Experts and how can they help you
Google Product Experts are community members with years of experience in dealing with issues related to Google My Business and Google Maps. They help set things straight and help businesses follow the rules to make the marketplace a better place to thrive in. There are different levels, Silver, Gold, and Platinum - the platinum level Product Experts have spent years helping people and have the potential to make a massive impact on a given thread.
Understanding Google's Inconsistent Rulings
At the end of the day, review removals and takedowns are done by Google Administrators, not Product Experts. The #1 Google Product Expert complains all the time about how Google Administrators don't remove fake reviews, even after being given tons of evidence of review fraud.
Ok, now that we've talked about the fundamentals, let's get started!
Click here to start a new thread
https://support.google.com/business/thread/new?source=need_more_help
Now, let's fill out the details:
My question: Here you can get creative about the title of the thread:
- I need to remove suspected fake reviews for a business
- Help! Fake review takedown support
- Are these reviews fake? I need help disputing them.
Category: Policies and Guidelines
Platform: Web
Describe & post: This is where you are going to add the juicy details, the listing report URL, and the evidence of review fraud. Here is where you tee up the Google Product Experts to get the removals done fast. Fortunately, you can copy/paste a lot of data right out of the Transparency Report PDF. Here's an example:
If so, this blog post is for you. We'll discuss how to make it easy for them to navigate the report by following a few simple steps.
Sharing your Transparency Reports online is a way to show others how you research companies and professionals, the smart way.
Step 1: Click on the social share icons on the pdf report or listing page url.
Step 2: Tag the @business and add context to your social post.
Are you excited to be working with this business? Or are you SOOOO glad that you found out they had fake reviews? Tell your friends and family.
Step 3: Do you have friends and family weighing in on who you should hire?
Email them the listing URL and ask them if they have reports for anyone else you're considering.
Why you should share Transparency Reports:
- It shows that you care about working with a business that has honest reviews
- It shows that you don't hire just ANYONE with a 5-star profile, your a smart cookie who does lots of research.
- It helps spread the word about the Transparency Company so we help other people just like you make a better spending decision online.