If you think a review is fake, capture it before doing anything else. Save the review URL, take a screenshot, report the post through the platform's own review tool, and keep the confirmation or case number.

Removal depends on a platform rule, not just on how unfair a review feels. A negative, anonymous, or order-unmatched review isn't automatically removable. The useful question is: what specific conduct or content appears to violate the platform's policy?

This guide is for U.S. consumers and businesses. Platform rules may apply internationally, but government complaints and legal options depend on where you live.

A fake review is not simply a bad review

A review can be exaggerated, inaccurate, or disputed without breaking a platform's rules. Google Business Profiles, for example, can receive feedback from account holders who haven't completed a transaction. Saying that a business can't find an order under the reviewer's name may be relevant, but it usually isn't proof by itself.

A report is stronger when it points to a specific policy concern, such as:

• Copied or repetitive reviews appearing across several accounts
• A reviewer claiming an experience that appears impossible or unrelated to the business
• An incentive to post, change, or remove a review in exchange for money, goods, or services
• Impersonation or a conflict of interest
• Spam, threats, harassment, or irrelevant promotion
• Personal information published without consent
• A coordinated review attack or an extortion demand

A genuine one-star review can stay online even when the business strongly disagrees with it. Report the conduct or content that violates a rule, rather than the opinion alone.

Document the review before reporting it

Reviews may be edited, deleted, or hidden while a platform investigates. Make a small evidence file first. It can be a folder containing:

1. The exact review URL, business or product page, reviewer name, and posting date.
2. A screenshot showing the entire review and its current rating.
3. The reviewer's public profile URL and any relevant pattern of similar posts.
4. Order, booking, service, or customer-record information that helps establish what happened.
5. Messages, emails, or payment demands connected to the review.
6. A brief timeline showing when the review appeared and what changed afterward.
7. The policy section that you believe the review violates.

Businesses should redact addresses, phone numbers, payment information, and other private customer data. Send only what is needed to demonstrate the issue. Consumers should keep receipts, advertisements, order confirmations, and messages if the review is connected to a broader fraud or product complaint.

How to report a fake Google review

Google's official reporting process is the first stop for a review on Maps or a Business Profile. Google says it can remove reviews that violate its content policies from Maps and Search, but it doesn't remove every review a business disputes. Follow Google's instructions for reporting inappropriate reviews for the current options.

For a business owner

1. Sign in to the Google account that manages the Business Profile.
2. Find the review in Google Search or Google Maps.
3. Open the review's options menu and select the reporting option.
4. Choose the reason that most closely matches the suspected violation.
5. Submit the report and save the confirmation or case details.
6. Check the result in Google's review-management workflow.

A status may say that a decision is pending or that the review was evaluated and no policy violation was found. If Google rejects the report, use the available appeal option and tie the explanation to a particular rule. Google's help page says the reporting tool can allow a business to select up to 10 reviews.

A user profile that repeatedly contributes inappropriate content can also be reported. Don't ask customers to mass-report an unfavorable review. Google says fake engagement can lead to restrictions on the Business Profile as well as removal of violating reviews. Its Business Profile restrictions guidance explains how coordinated or incentivized activity can create problems for the business itself.

If the review is part of an extortion attempt

Keep the demand, account details, screenshots, payment instructions, and related messages. Don't delete the evidence or publish the exchange to shame the sender. Follow Google's extortion-reporting instructions, report the account through the platform, and consider contacting local law enforcement if the messages involve threats, fraud, or attempted payment theft.

A payment or promise to post positive reviews can create additional policy problems. When reporting the incident, describe the whole pattern rather than flagging only one post. Reporting extortion doesn't guarantee that every related review will be removed.

How to report a fake Amazon review

Amazon's reporting labels and options can vary by account type. A shopper should open the review on the product page and use the available report or abuse option. If that option isn't available, or if the concern involves a broader account problem, contact Amazon support. Identify the product, review, reviewer, and suspected policy violation.

Sellers should use the review-abuse or Report Abuse workflow in Seller Central. Include details such as:

• The product page and exact review
• The reviewer's public account information
• Order or customer-service records relevant to the claim
• Evidence of copied wording, incentives, conflicts, or coordinated activity
• Any earlier case number and Amazon response

Don't contact a reviewer to offer compensation for deleting or changing a review. Creating orders, accounts, or counter-reviews to manipulate the rating can also create problems. Ask Amazon to investigate the review under its policy; don't demand removal merely because it lowered the product's score.

Yelp, Trustpilot, eBay, Etsy, TripAdvisor, and app stores

The route differs by platform, and menu names can change. In general, start with the report or flag option attached to the review, listing, transaction, or app page.

If the same conduct appears on several platforms, report it separately on each one. A short explanation tailored to that platform is easier to assess than one long accusation pasted into every form.

How consumers should handle a suspected fake review

Consumers can report fake positive reviews as well as fake negative ones. Before reporting, check the basics:

• Does the post actually describe the product, service, or location?
• Does similar wording appear elsewhere? Treat that as a lead, not proof.
• Have you saved the review and the page where you found it?
• Can you describe what you observed and name the suspected policy issue?
• Are you avoiding direct contact or threats toward the reviewer?

A platform report won't necessarily produce a refund. If the review is connected to a purchase problem, contact the seller or service provider and keep the transaction records. For help deciding where to send a complaint about a company, see USAGov's complaint guidance. A review report and a product, service, or billing complaint are separate processes.

How a business should respond while a report is pending

A public reply may reassure people who are reading the page, but it won't replace the platform's investigation. Keep the response short, professional, and free of private customer information.

If the business can't match the post to a customer record, a response could say:

Thanks for sharing your concern. We haven't been able to match this post to a customer record from the information provided, and we won't discuss private details here. Please contact us through [official contact channel] with the date of service or order information so we can investigate.

When the review may be genuine but the business needs more information, consider:

We're sorry to hear about this experience. We'd like to review what happened and address it directly. Please contact us through [official contact channel] with the relevant order or appointment details.

Don't call the reviewer a liar, publish personal information, or mention private records in the reply. A calm response still has value if the platform leaves the review online.

Escalating a complaint beyond the platform

Escalation is most useful after the first report, when you can provide the review URL, evidence, and platform case number.

Platform appeal or support

Send one organized follow-up with the review URL, dates, policy reason, supporting evidence, and result of the first report. Explain why the post differs from an ordinary negative opinion. Repeating the same report without adding relevant information is unlikely to make the issue clearer.

BBB

The Better Business Bureau may help when the review is part of an underlying dispute with a business. File through the BBB complaint form and describe the transaction, what you did to resolve it, and the outcome you want.

BBB isn't a government agency. It can't fine a company, force a refund, or order Google, Amazon, Yelp, or another platform to remove a review. The BBB complaint process says complaints are forwarded to the business for a response and are generally closed within 30 days. That process is separate from the platform's moderation decision.

FTC and state consumer-protection agencies

Consumers and businesses can submit information to the Federal Trade Commission or their state attorney general through the agencies' official consumer-protection channels when the issue suggests widespread deceptive activity, paid review schemes, impersonation, or review-related fraud.

A regulator complaint is an enforcement tip, not a guaranteed takedown request. Include the business or platform, dates, review links, payment demands, account information, and evidence of a broader pattern. Stick to what you can prove.

For substantial losses, threats, or impersonation, ask a licensed attorney in your state whether additional action is appropriate. This is general information, not legal advice.

Fake review complaint template

A factual, policy-focused report is more useful than an accusation that the reviewer committed a crime.

Subject: Suspected policy-violating review

Platform:
Business or product:
Review URL:
Date posted:
Reviewer account:

Reason for report:
I believe this review may violate [platform policy or category] because:

Facts:
- [Specific fact that can be checked]
- [Relevant timing, copied wording, incentive, threat, or impersonation]
- [What your records show, without attaching unnecessary private data]

Evidence attached:
- Screenshot of the review
- Reviewer profile or related posts
- Order, booking, or service records
- Messages or payment demands
- Previous case number, if any

Requested action:
Please review this content under the cited policy and advise whether further information is needed.

Name:
Contact information:

Use "suspected" unless you have direct proof. Give the moderator enough detail to verify the rule violation, without turning the report into an argument with the reviewer.

What not to do

Some reactions can damage the account or weaken the complaint:

• Don't buy positive reviews or offer money for removal.
• Don't create fake accounts to post counter-reviews.
• Don't ask employees, friends, or customers to report an honest review as fake.
• Don't publish a reviewer's name, address, phone number, or private messages.
• Don't threaten a reviewer or promise a refund only if the review disappears.
• Don't send an entire customer database to show that one name is missing.
• Don't describe a suspected pattern as proven fraud unless the evidence supports that statement.

Start with the exact review URL and a specific policy reason. Save the platform's response, then use the appropriate consumer or regulatory channel if the review is tied to a larger dispute.

Frequently asked questions

Can Google remove a review just because there is no matching purchase?

Usually, that fact alone isn't enough. Google Business Profiles can receive feedback from users who aren't verified customers. Explain the conduct that may violate a policy, such as spam, impersonation, threats, or coordinated manipulation.

How long does a fake review report take?

There isn't one removal deadline for all platforms. Google may show a pending decision, a finding that no policy violation was found, or a removal decision. Keep the case information and appeal if Google provides that option.

Can the BBB remove a Google or Yelp review?

No. BBB can process an eligible complaint about an underlying business dispute, but it can't control another platform's review page or force content removal.

Should a business contact the reviewer directly?

Use caution. A public argument can expose private information and make the situation worse. Rely on the platform's reporting tools, keep any communication professional, and don't offer anything in exchange for changing or deleting a review.

What if the review is negative but appears genuine?

Respond briefly, invite the person to an official support channel, and address the underlying service problem. A business generally can't require a platform to remove a genuine opinion simply because it is damaging or uncomfortable. Keep the response professional and take any separate billing or service dispute to the seller or the appropriate complaint channel.