Fake Reviews: How to Spot Them, Document Them and Report Them

By the Expert Reputation team · Updated September 30, 2026

A fake review describes an experience that never happened, or it comes from someone with a hidden stake, such as a competitor, a former employee, or a paid reviewer. Every major review site prohibits fake reviews, and since October 2024 a federal FTC rule prohibits businesses from creating, selling, or knowingly buying them. You can't delete a fake review yourself, but you can document it well and report it where the platform is most likely to act.

How to tell if a review is fake

No single signal proves a review is fake. Platforms look at patterns, and so should you. Common warning signs:

• No matching customer. Nothing in your bookings, invoices, or job records matches the name, date, or details.
• Details that don't fit your business. The review mentions a service you don't offer, a location you don't have, staff who don't exist, or hours when you were closed.
• A sudden cluster. Several one-star reviews in a day or two, often after months of quiet. The FTC itself cites "an unusually large number of reviews" in "a very short period of time" as a red flag.
• Copy-paste language. Several reviews repeat the same phrases or complaints in nearly identical wording.
• Odd reviewer histories. A brand-new account, or a profile that posts many reviews in one day for businesses in different cities.
• A competitor connection. The review praises a named competitor, or the reviewer's profile shows ties to one.
• Timing after a conflict. Negative reviews appear right after an employee leaves or a vendor dispute, from people you've never served.

Real customers sometimes use nicknames, misremember dates, or post weeks later. A mismatch is a reason to look closer, not proof. If the review describes a real visit you handled badly, treat it as feedback. See what gets removed and what doesn't.

How to document a suspected fake review

Good documentation makes your report credible and protects you if the situation escalates.

1. Screenshot the review with the date, star rating, reviewer name, and URL visible.
2. Screenshot the reviewer's profile and their other public reviews, if the platform shows them.
3. Record your records search: which systems you checked and what you found. Keep customer records internal. In healthcare, never post or send patient information to a review site.
4. Log the pattern in a simple spreadsheet: date seen, platform, reviewer, rating, key phrases, report date, report outcome.
5. Save anything linking the reviewer to a competitor or ex-employee, such as a public social profile or a matching name.
6. Note any contact from someone offering to remove the reviews for a fee. That is a common sign of a review removal scam.

How to report fake reviews on each platform

Report under the category that matches the policy. "Fake" is only useful if the platform's rule says so.

Google

Google's Maps content policy removes "fake engagement," which includes content "not based on a real experience," content "based on a conflict of interest" (current or former employment, or affiliations such as industry competitors), incentivized reviews, and "unusual volumes or patterns of review contributions that are indicative of efforts to manipulate a place's rating." It also prohibits posting on a competitor's listing "to undermine that business' or product's reputation."

To report, open your Business Profile, go to your reviews, select Report next to the review, and choose the reason. Or use the Reviews Management Tool, which also shows each report's status. If Google finds no violation, you can submit a one-time appeal. See our Google reviews guide.

Yelp

Yelp's Content Guidelines prohibit conflicts of interest: people can't review their own business, their employer, relatives' businesses, or competitors. Yelp also bars AI-written reviews. In Yelp for Business, open Reviews, select the three-dot More Options button on the review, and choose Report Review. When Yelp finds coordinated activity, such as multiple reviews from the same IP address or a review ring, it may place a Suspicious Review Activity alert on the page. See our Yelp guide.

Facebook, BBB, Trustpilot, Healthgrades and Angi

Reporting to the FTC

If you have evidence that a business is buying, selling, or writing fake reviews, you can report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC won't remove a review from a third-party site, and FTC staff say the rule has no private right of action, so you can't sue a competitor under it.

What the FTC rule covers

The Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465) took effect October 21, 2024. The main provisions:

Courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations. When the FTC sent warning letters to 10 companies on December 22, 2025, it cited penalties of up to $53,088 per violation. The FTC adjusts that figure for inflation.

What not to do about fake reviews

Some reactions create a bigger problem than the review:

• Don't bury fake reviews with fake positive ones. That is exactly what § 465.2 and every platform prohibit.
• Don't ask employees, relatives, or friends to "balance it out." Google and Yelp treat that as a conflict of interest, and the FTC rule covers undisclosed insider reviews.
• Don't offer discounts or gifts for positive reviews, or for removing negative ones. FTC staff say paying to remove truthful negative reviews may violate the FTC Act.
• Don't ask only happy customers. Google prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews, and FTC staff say review gating could violate the FTC Act.
• Don't publicly call a reviewer a liar or a competitor unless you know it's true. A knowingly false or reckless public accusation made to get a review removed falls under § 465.7.
• Don't make legal threats you can't back up. Groundless threats are also review suppression under the rule. See defamation vs. opinion.
• Don't pay a removal service. No one outside the platform can guarantee removal.

How to reply to a review you believe is fake

While a report is pending, a short public reply shows other readers that you take feedback seriously without starting a fight. For example:

We take every review seriously, but we can't find any record of a visit matching this description. If we've missed something, please contact our manager at [Phone] so we can look into it. – [Business Name]

For medical, dental, and other healthcare practices, don't say whether the person is or isn't a patient, because either statement discloses protected information. Use a neutral reply instead:

Thank you for your feedback. Privacy rules prevent us from discussing any individual situation online. Please call our office manager at [Phone] so we can talk directly. – [Practice Name]

If fake reviews are coming in waves, see review bombing. If you suspect a competitor or former employee, see competitor and employee reviews.