If a review looks fake, start with a platform report a moderator can actually check. That means the full URL, the policy category that fits, and facts showing the post may not be a genuine experience: no real use of the product or service, an undisclosed incentive or relationship, copied wording, coordinated timing, or impersonation. A short, anonymous, or negative review is not proof by itself.

Shoppers flagging a paid testimonial and businesses facing a cluster of suspicious ratings use the same basic path. File one clear report. Don't litigate it in the public comments. Keep the platform process separate from any later FTC or state complaint.

Quick answer: How to complain about a fake review

1. Check the facts. Look for no genuine experience, hidden incentives, conflicts of interest, copied wording, coordinated timing, impersonation, or other prohibited conduct. A brief or critical review, standing alone, isn't enough.
2. Preserve evidence. Save the review's full URL, screenshots, account name, rating, date, related messages, and a dated log if several posts look connected.
3. Report through the correct channel. Use the platform's reporting tool, choose the closest policy reason, and stick to observable facts. If a business appears to be buying or selling fake reviews, you can also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

The platform decides whether content violates its own terms. The FTC investigates suspected deceptive business practices. It doesn't order a site to take down one review, and it doesn't guarantee an individual refund.

What counts as a fake review?

Fake reviews aren't only one-star attacks. They can be five-star ads in disguise. What they share is a claimed experience the reviewer didn't have, or manipulation that would mislead a reader.

That can look like a business paying for five-star posts from people who never used the product, a competitor inventing complaints, or an owner, employee, relative, or agency posing as an ordinary customer without saying so. It also includes AI-generated text that pretends to be a real consumer experience, a reward available only if the rating is positive, a review broker hired to create or spread false testimonials, and several accounts posting the same wording as part of a campaign.

The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule took effect on October 21, 2024. In general, it targets deceptive review and testimonial practices by businesses, including buying or selling fake reviews and tying compensation to a particular sentiment. It doesn't make an honest consumer opinion illegal merely because a business dislikes the rating.

Red flags are leads, not proof

Some signals justify a closer look. None of them, on their own, establish fraud.

Don't report a review as fake solely because it's anonymous, unverified, short, or critical. Explain the combination of facts that makes it look wrong.

How to gather evidence for a fake-review complaint

Collect evidence before you report. A review, profile, or message can change or disappear.

Save the review itself

For every relevant review, record:

• The complete review URL
• The account or display name
• The star rating and exact text
• The date shown on the platform
• The product, listing, location, or business involved
• A screenshot showing enough of the page to identify the review
• The date and time you captured the material

If you're reporting a group of reviews, put one URL per row in a simple spreadsheet or document. Number the screenshots so they match that list.

Document the pattern

One odd review is hard for a moderator to judge. A pattern is easier to check. Compare posting dates and time gaps, repeated phrases, spelling quirks, or unusual formatting, and each reviewer's public history. Look at reviews of unrelated products or businesses from the same accounts, and at any sudden jump in volume after a dispute, launch, or competitor event. Keep messages, invoices, ads, or social posts that offer payment for reviews, plus any evidence of a personal, employment, or business connection.

Describe what you can demonstrate. Don't claim several accounts belong to one person unless you have reliable evidence.

Protect private information

Use only information that's publicly available or that you lawfully received. Don't publish a reviewer's phone number, address, email, order details, or private social-media information. Redact passwords, financial details, government identification numbers, and unrelated customer data before you send documents.

A business's internal records can help, but failing to find a transaction isn't conclusive. Customers may have bought through another channel, used a different name, or visited a physical location.

How to report fake reviews on major platforms

Platform names, buttons, and escalation options change. Use the reporting link shown beside the review or inside your account, and save the confirmation or case number.

Amazon

For a product review, use the review's reporting or abuse option when it's available. Sellers can also use the relevant Seller Central reporting or support workflow for suspected review manipulation.

Include the product name and ASIN, each suspicious review URL, the dates and pattern you observed, and the specific concern, such as a likely incentive, copied wording, or coordinated activity. Attach copies of solicitation messages, broker listings, or payment records if you have them.

Focus on review manipulation rather than saying the rating is simply unfair. Don't ask customers to submit repeated reports, create counter-reviews, or attack another seller. One accurate report with organized evidence is more useful than artificial reporting volume.

Google

Report the review from Google Search, Google Maps, or the business profile interface, using the closest available policy category. A business owner can also use the profile's review-management and appeal tools when those are offered.

Say whether the post appears to involve no genuine experience with the business, a conflict of interest, spam, advertising, or copied content, an off-topic personal dispute, impersonation or coordinated abuse, or threats, harassment, or other prohibited content.

A negative review that accurately describes a genuine visit usually won't come down just because the business disagrees. If several related reviews arrive together, report the URLs as a group when the platform allows it and explain the common pattern.

Yelp

Use Yelp's review-reporting option from the business listing or review page. Keep a public response separate from the private complaint.

A professional reply can say the business can't identify the experience and has asked the platform to review the post. Don't reveal customer information, accuse someone of lying, or offer a refund in exchange for deleting the review. If the visit was genuine but went badly, invite the person to contact the business without pressuring them to change the rating.

Trustpilot

Use the platform's flagging or reporting process and identify the suspected violation. Trustpilot may ask for more information about the experience or the relationship between the reviewer and the business.

Point to concrete facts such as an incentive, an undisclosed connection, copied text, or a review that appears to concern a different company. A report that only says "this is fake" gives the moderator little to verify.

A complaint template you can adapt

Keep the first report concise. Link each claim to evidence rather than attaching a long emotional narrative.

Subject: Suspected review manipulation on [platform]

I am reporting the following review or reviews:
[Review URL 1]
[Review URL 2]

The content appears to violate [platform policy category] because:
- [Fact 1, such as copied wording or evidence of an incentive]
- [Fact 2, such as several accounts posting within the same period]
- [Fact 3, such as a public message offering payment for reviews]

The attached evidence includes [screenshots, dates, messages, invoices, or other records].
Please review the linked content under the platform's current policies and remove it only if your review finds a violation.

My contact details are:
[Name and account or business information]

For a report to a regulator, replace the removal request with a description of the business practice. Include who was involved, what happened, when it happened, how you learned about it, and any money paid or received.

When to report suspected review fraud to the FTC

In the United States, consider filing a complaint with the FTC's official fraud reporting service when the evidence suggests a business or review broker is:

• Creating, buying, selling, or distributing fake reviews
• Paying for reviews only when they express a specified sentiment
• Using false testimonials or fabricated consumer experiences
• Suppressing honest negative reviews through threats or intimidation
• Presenting a company-controlled review site as independent
• Using deceptive review practices as part of a broader sales scheme

Attach or describe the review URLs, business names, dates, communications, payment records, and the conduct you observed. Don't send unnecessary sensitive information.

An FTC complaint contributes to the agency's enforcement information, but it isn't a private lawsuit. The FTC generally won't act as your lawyer, force a platform to delete a post, or promise compensation. Civil penalty amounts and enforcement priorities can change, so rely on the agency's current information rather than an old article quoting a fixed amount.

You can also contact your state attorney general's consumer-protection office if the conduct appears deceptive under state law. Use the official website for your state and keep the state complaint separate from the platform report.

What to do if the platform rejects your report

A rejection doesn't necessarily mean the review is genuine. It may mean the platform couldn't verify a policy violation from the material you sent.

Read the decision carefully and note whether it found no violation, needed more information, or closed the case for another reason. Appeal through the official route, reuse the original case number, and narrow the explanation to the strongest evidence. A solicitation message, a conflict disclosure, or a second related URL is more useful than another screenshot of the same post.

Correct any inaccurate information on your own listing that may be confusing customers. If you have evidence of a review-selling scheme, a regulator may be a better channel than more platform flags. Consider legal advice only when the losses and evidence justify it. A lawyer can assess issues such as provably false factual statements, defamation, contract terms, and measurable damages under the applicable state law.

Don't threaten the reviewer or platform, impersonate a customer, scrape private information, or organize mass reports. Those actions can violate platform rules and weaken your credibility.

Common mistakes that hurt a fake-review complaint

Calling every unfavorable review fake. Businesses sometimes treat a legitimate complaint as fraud because the customer remembers an event differently. Respond to the substance first and report only a specific policy violation.

Treating a missing purchase badge as proof. Verification labels are useful signals, not universal proof of authenticity. Explain the full pattern instead.

Sending an emotional or oversized report. Moderators need URLs, dates, policy categories, and evidence. Remove insults, speculation, and unrelated grievances.

Offering a reward for removal. Refunds, discounts, or gifts conditioned on deleting a negative review can create another review-integrity problem. Resolve the service issue without demanding a rating change.

Posting private evidence publicly. Send documents through the platform's official channel or a regulator's secure process. Publicly sharing names, order records, or private messages can expose you to privacy and other disputes.

Reporting the same review repeatedly. Keep the case number, wait for the platform's response, and appeal once through the designated process. Artificially increasing report volume can look abusive.

Questions about fake-review complaints

Can a business remove any negative review?

No. A review can be negative, anonymous, or poorly written and still reflect a genuine experience. Removal generally depends on a platform-rule violation, not whether the business thinks the rating is deserved.

Is an AI-written review automatically illegal?

No. The key issue is whether the review falsely represents a consumer experience or is part of deceptive manipulation. The FTC rule is not a blanket ban on every use of artificial intelligence in marketing.

Will the FTC remove a review or give me a refund?

Usually not. The FTC gathers reports for possible enforcement and does not function as a platform moderator or individual claims service. Report the review to the platform and pursue any separate refund or dispute directly with the seller.

What is the strongest evidence?

Direct evidence of payment, an incentive tied to a particular rating, a solicitation, or a coordinated campaign is generally stronger than a new account or generic wording. Preserve the original message, URL, date, and surrounding context.

Should I hire a lawyer?

Start with the platform's reporting process and, where appropriate, a regulatory complaint. If the review contains specific false factual claims and you can document substantial losses, a licensed attorney in your state can explain whether a legal claim is realistic. This is general information, not legal advice.

If you already have the review URL and a reason that maps to a platform policy, file that report now and save the case number. Add an FTC complaint only when the evidence points to a business buying, selling, or steering reviews, not because one customer left a rating you dislike.