What to Do If You Are Being Extorted with Fake Google Reviews

A new form of digital extortion is targeting service-based businesses across the United States. Scammers flood Google Maps profiles with fake one-star reviews, then demand payment to remove them.

If your business has been targeted, you’re likely experiencing a mix of panic, frustration, and anger. You might be wondering whether you should pay to make the problem go away, whether Google will actually remove the fake reviews, and whether there’s any legal recourse against the attackers. The pressure is intense because you can see the immediate impact: your star rating drops, customer inquiries slow down, and your competitors start capturing business that should be yours.

You have more options than the extortionists want you to believe. At Minc Law, we focus exclusively on online defamation and digital reputation cases. We have helped businesses across the country fight back against fake review attacks, and we understand the unique vulnerabilities that small businesses and companies face in the digital marketplace. This article will explain how these schemes work, what immediate steps you should take, and when legal action becomes necessary. You don’t have to navigate this alone or watch your business suffer while scammers operate with impunity.

Understanding the Threat

Fake review extortion targets the business model of service companies that rely on digital reputation. Understanding how these attacks work is the first step in defending against them.

How the Scam Works

Business owners receive messages from overseas phone numbers, often based overseas, warning that negative reviews are coming or have already been posted. The scammer offers “removal services” for a fee.

In some cases, fake reviews appear first, driving down the business’s star rating. The extortionist then contacts the owner, positioning themselves as someone who can solve the problem.

Service Businesses Are Prime Targets

Service businesses typically have fewer reviews than restaurants or retail establishments. A moving company with 30 reviews can see its rating collapse when 10 to 20 fake one-star reviews appear.

These businesses depend on online reputation to generate customer inquiries. When potential customers see a 3.5-star rating instead of 5 stars, they move to competitors. Phone calls stop, estimate requests decrease, and revenue drops.

The Technology Behind the Attacks

Technology has transformed fake review operations from easily-detected schemes into attacks that can fool both automated systems and human readers.

Scammers use AI tools to generate hundreds of realistic-sounding reviews in minutes, complete with specific details about alleged service failures. These AI-generated reviews include narratives about movers damaging items or contractors missing appointments. They sound like genuine customer complaints, making them harder for platform algorithms to detect.

Google claims to remove hundreds of millions of fake reviews annually, but the technology creating those reviews evolves faster than detection systems. AI-generated content doesn’t follow obvious patterns, making automated detection less effective.

Platforms face a tension: making reviews easy for legitimate customers also makes it easier for scammers. Requiring extensive verification would protect businesses but reduce overall review volume.

The Legal Landscape

Laws governing online reviews and platform responsibility often fail to address international extortion schemes or provide recourse for victimized businesses.

Current Protections and Their Limitations

The Federal Trade Commission implemented regulations in 2024 targeting fake reviews. These rules primarily focus on businesses that purchase positive reviews for themselves, not on extortion schemes targeting legitimate companies.

Enforcing penalties against scammers operating from Pakistan, Bangladesh, or other countries presents challenges. International cooperation is limited, perpetrators are difficult to identify, and prosecutions rarely result in recovered funds for victims.

Section 230 and Platform Immunity

Review platforms like Google are protected under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields websites from liability for user-generated content. Businesses have limited legal recourse against the platforms themselves, even when moderation systems fail to catch obvious fakes.

Can You Sue for Fake Reviews?

Fake negative reviews can constitute defamation, giving businesses grounds to pursue civil claims. However, scammers typically operate overseas, making them hard to identify and bring into U.S. courts. Collecting damages from international defendants is often impossible.

If you can identify the perpetrators and they have assets within reach of U.S. courts, legal action may be viable. An attorney experienced in internet defamation can help evaluate whether litigation makes sense for your situation.

What Does Google Do About Fraudulent Reviews?

Google claims to remove the “vast majority of fraudulent content before it’s ever seen” and has restricted over 900,000 accounts for repeatedly violating its policies. The company has announced plans to release a tool allowing businesses to report when they’re being targeted by extortion schemes, though no timeline has been provided.

Business owners report that Google’s current response is inadequate. There’s no direct line to contact company representatives, even for businesses that spend thousands on Google advertising. The reporting process is opaque, and fake reviews often remain visible for weeks despite repeated reports.

What Business Owners Should Do When Being Extorted With Fake Reviews

When you discover your business is under attack, quick action can limit the damage. There are concrete steps you can take to protect your reputation and begin removing fraudulent content.

If You’re Contacted by Extortionists

Never pay the ransom. Payment doesn’t solve the problem—it makes it worse. In our experience with extortion clients, after paying one scammer, additional extortionists contacted them shortly after, suggesting that criminal networks share information about which businesses will pay.

There’s no guarantee the scammer will remove the reviews after payment. You may lose the money and still need to deal with the fake reviews through official channels.

Immediate Response Steps

When you discover fake reviews attacking your business:

• Report to the platform: Use Google’s reporting tools to flag each fraudulent review. This is your primary avenue for removal.
• Document everything: Screenshot every fake review with timestamps and reviewer account information. Preserve all threatening messages, including sender phone numbers and identifying details.
• Check for patterns: Look at the reviewer accounts. Do they have multiple reviews posted on the same day? Are they targeting businesses in the same industry? This information helps establish the reviews are fraudulent.

Building Long-Term Defenses

A large base of legitimate customer reviews provides protection against review extortion. When you have dozens or hundreds of genuine reviews, fake negatives have less impact on your overall rating and are more obviously fraudulent.

Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews across multiple platforms, not just Google. Send follow-up emails with direct links. Implement review requests into your business processes—after project completion, after final payment, or at other natural touchpoints.

When to Seek Legal Help

Not every fake review situation requires an attorney, but certain circumstances warrant professional legal guidance.

Signs You Need an Attorney

Consider consulting with an internet defamation attorney if:

• You’ve suffered substantial, quantifiable financial harm from fake reviews
• The attacks are ongoing despite platform reports
• You want to unmask the identity of anonymous reviewers
• You’re facing pressure to pay significant sums or threats of escalating attacks
• You want to pursue damages against the perpetrators

What an Attorney Can Do

An attorney experienced in online reputation law can provide strategic guidance tailored to your situation. This might include drafting cease and desist letters, coordinating with law enforcement, pursuing subpoenas to identify anonymous perpetrators, or filing civil suits for defamation and business interference.

The attorney can also escalate removal requests with platforms through legal channels, subpoena Google for information about reviewer accounts, and work with digital forensics experts to document patterns across multiple attacks. In cases where defendants can be identified and have reachable assets, litigation may result in court orders requiring the removal of fraudulent content.

Legal action isn’t appropriate in every case—the costs may exceed potential recovery, especially with international defendants. A consultation can help you understand your options and determine the most cost-effective approach.

How to Choose an Attorney

Fake review extortion cases require specialized experience in internet defamation and online reputation law. Look for attorneys with demonstrated experience handling fake review cases, knowledge of platform-specific reporting and escalation procedures, and a track record of successfully removing fraudulent content from Google and other review sites.

Ask potential attorneys about their experience with review extortion, specifically, their approach to cases involving international defendants, and their relationships with platform legal teams. The attorney should be able to explain the subpoena process for unmasking anonymous reviewers and have realistic timelines for content removal.

Avoid attorneys who promise guaranteed removal, suggest immediate litigation without exploring platform remedies first, or lack specific experience with online reputation cases. The right legal team will be honest about the challenges of international enforcement while providing effective strategies for protecting your business reputation.

Minc Law Can Help Fight Fake Review Extortion

Fake review extortion attacks against service businesses create immediate financial pressure. They destroy ratings built over years, eliminate customer inquiries, and hand business to competitors. These attacks demand a legal team that understands both review platform systems and the realities of international scammer operations.

Minc Law is a leading U.S. law firm focused exclusively on internet defamation and online reputation protection. Our attorneys have represented service businesses nationwide in removing fraudulent reviews, escalating cases with platforms, identifying anonymous attackers, and pursuing legal remedies when appropriate.

We understand the urgency when your business is under attack. Our team can help you navigate platform reporting systems, document evidence properly, and determine whether legal action is warranted in your case. We focus on practical strategies that actually work, not promises we can’t keep.

If your business is being extorted with fake reviews, you don’t have to navigate this alone. Contact Minc Law today for a confidential consultation and begin the process of protecting your reputation and your livelihood.