False positives
You should take immediate action if you find out that a business has made misleading or false reviews. You can report misleading or false reviews to Google's My Business group. Sometimes, the community forum can find the post by itself and escalate it back to Google. You should always present accurate information, regardless of who you contact. False reviews are not only deceptive, but may even be illegal.
CBC News has discovered a growing black market in fake reviews. Some companies paid for fake positive review purchases. Some companies have been tricked by websites that offer review-fixing services or post negative comments. One investigation discovered a network that included 1,279 North American businesses. These accounts had posted 3,574 fake comments.
Spam
Google's new ML based algorithm has slowed spam review creation but it isn’t solved. The number reported spam reviews rose to an unprecedented high level in April, May and June. It's unclear if Google is reducing its spam removal algorithm or if these actions are just a response to an increasing number of complaints.
Businesses can use Google Review Filter to avoid spammy reviews. This tool allows businesses to identify and remove reviews that may be in violation of their policies. Spam reviews are those that are not genuine and intended to manipulate star ratings. It also considers duplicate reviews that are written by the exact same customer spam.
Fraudulent reviews
Fake Google reviews can make it difficult to find the right product. Thankfully, there are a few ways to identify fake reviews. One way to spot fake reviews is to look through your customer base. You can check your customer database for duplicate reviews. This will show you if someone has ordered a product or purchased it. To determine if they are real customers, you can look at the details of the reviewer.
If you notice a review you don't recognize, try flagging it. Google will review all flagged reviews. You can't guarantee that it will be deleted. It could be left there and cause you to lose online visibility.
Google allows you to report suspicious reviews
If you notice a review that looks suspicious, you can report it to Google. This can be done through the Support tab of your Google My Business Page. For your message to be sent, you can use either the phone number or the email option. Attach a screenshot of your review to Google when you contact them. Within 24 hours, you should hear back from a Google representative
Google's review system is intended to be fair to both businesses and consumers, but it is important to note that it is also prone to false reviews. It is important to be aware that fake reviews are very difficult to spot. A recent investigation by CBC News found a network of fake reviews. It included at least 1,279 businesses in North America, 208 fake accounts, and 3,574 fake reviews.