Report a fake review to the platform first. Only the platform can normally remove a specific review or rating from its own listing.

An FTC report can still matter when a seller, business, or review broker appears to be running a wider scheme. It is not an individual takedown service.

Is the review actually fake, or is it a real complaint you dislike? That distinction matters. A harsh but genuine opinion usually does not violate a review policy.

This guide is written mainly for U.S. consumers and businesses. The EU Digital Services Act, or DSA, is covered separately because it is not a substitute for a U.S. FTC complaint.

Start with the platform's reporting tool

Use the report option attached to the review whenever possible. A general customer-service request may be slower and may not reach the content-moderation team.

Menu names can change by device, country, and account type. Look for the review itself, then its three-dot menu, flag, or report control.

The FTC maintains reporting guidance for suspicious online reviews that covers several major review services. Check it before relying on an old screenshot or a copied menu path.

A report does not guarantee removal. The platform has to decide whether the review breaks its rules.

Give the moderator useful evidence

Keep the report factual. You do not need to prove a criminal case, but you should make the pattern easy to see.

Save these items before the review changes or disappears:

• The direct link to each review, the business or product page, and the reviewer's profile if public.
• Screenshots showing the review text, rating, date, and account name.
• A short timeline showing a burst of similar posts or identical wording.
• Relevant records showing you cannot match a claimed transaction, if you are the business involved.
• Public posts, messages, or offers that suggest payment, a required star rating, or a coordinated campaign.

Thing is, a new account or vague wording is not proof by itself. Many real customers write brief reviews and use nicknames.

Describe what you can verify. For example: "Five reviews used nearly identical language within two hours and the listed reviewers do not appear in our customer records." Avoid claims such as "These are definitely bots" unless you have direct evidence.

Do not upload customer records that contain unnecessary personal information. A reviewer may have used a different name, purchased through another person, or received a gift.

Use a simple reporting sequence

1. Save the page, links, and screenshots first. Reviews can be edited, deleted, or buried by newer posts.

2. Compare the reviews for specific patterns. Repeated phrases, the same posting window, or an apparent offer of compensation are more useful than a general feeling that something looks wrong.

3. Report each clear policy violation through the platform. For a larger group, use any available business-support or appeal channel to explain why the reviews appear connected.

4. Read the decision carefully. If the platform offers an appeal, send one focused follow-up with evidence that was missing from the first report.

5. Report the broader conduct to the FTC if it appears to involve paid, fabricated, or systematically manipulated reviews. Keep pursuing the platform route at the same time.

Don't organize friends, employees, or customers to mass-report a review. Repeated duplicate complaints can make a legitimate report harder to assess.

What the FTC rule covers in the United States

The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule took effect on October 21, 2024. It addresses deceptive and unfair conduct involving reviews and testimonials.

The rule covers conduct such as selling or obtaining fake or false reviews, paying for reviews that require a particular positive or negative sentiment, and using insider reviews without a clear disclosure of a material connection. Review brokers can also fall within the rule's scope. The details matter, especially where a business offers discounts, free products, or other incentives.

Turns out, an incentive does not automatically make every review fake. The key questions include whether the review was honest, whether the incentive depended on a favorable message, and whether required disclosures were clear. The FTC explains these distinctions in its Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule Q&A.

The rule does not give a consumer or business a private right to sue under that rule. It also does not force Amazon, Google, Yelp, or another platform to remove one disputed review.

When to file an FTC complaint

Use ReportFraud.ftc.gov when the facts suggest a broader deceptive practice, not just an isolated bad rating. A complaint may be useful if you found an offer to buy five-star reviews, a competitor appears to be posting fake negatives, or many reviews point to the same seller or broker.

Include the business name, platform, URLs, dates, screenshots if the form allows them, and a plain description of what happened. Say what you observed rather than guessing who is behind the activity.

The FTC uses reports to identify patterns and possible enforcement issues. It is not a replacement for the platform's review-removal process, so do not wait for a regulator response before using an available appeal route.

How the EU DSA fits in

The DSA is relevant when a service is offered to people in the European Union. It is not an alternate complaint desk for a U.S. consumer who wants a Google or Amazon review removed.

A fake review is not automatically illegal content under the DSA. Platforms can still act under their own terms, but a genuine negative review does not become removable merely because it hurts a business.

If you are in the EU and a platform declines to act, look for its notice, statement of reasons, or internal complaint process. Keep the platform's decision and your original report. A national Digital Services Coordinator may be a further supervisory route for a systemic concern, but it is not usually the first step for one disputed review.

Some DSA obligations are greater for very large platforms and search engines. That does not create a separate delete button or a personal payment for the person who complained.

Separate strong evidence from suspicion

Patterns help. A single strange review usually will not.

A real review can be brief, emotional, unfair, or mistaken. Those traits alone do not make it fabricated.

Claims involving threats, impersonation, privacy, or defamation can raise separate issues. Report the relevant policy violation to the platform, preserve the original material, and seek individualized legal guidance if needed. This is practical consumer information, not legal advice.

If the platform refuses to remove it

A denied report does not prove the review is genuine. It may mean the platform could not verify a policy violation from the material submitted.

Appeal only if you can add something useful: a missing link, a clearer timeline, a public incentive offer, or an explanation of the coordinated pattern. Repeating the same accusation usually will not change the result.

To be honest, paid "guaranteed removal" services are a bad bet. They cannot make a platform disregard its own policy, and efforts to drown out criticism with paid or selectively solicited positive reviews can create a new problem.

Ask real customers for honest feedback if you choose to seek more reviews. Do not condition an incentive on a favorable rating, and do not pressure people to change genuine opinions.

Open the review now, copy its direct link, and save a clear screenshot before filing the platform report.