Business paying for fake 5 star reviews on Google Maps

[JesseJamesWest]

CASE ID: [3-5931000040990]

Hello,

I am writing to you because I conducted an in-depth investigation into a business that I believe has been buying fake 5-star reviews in bulk since 2023.
At the end of my investigation, I reported this to Google through the Business Redressal Form and attached my evidence.

Today, it has been four months, and so far, Google has taken 0 action. It honestly makes me wonder whether buying fake reviews is allowed.

Link to all the evidence : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HKpGcV9KGCerdnf9fQQq_a_B4vSTYwbDqlwobCL0PaE/edit?usp=sharing

During my investigation, I was able to identify part of a network of accounts. I found 95 accounts that reviewed the exact same businesses on Google Maps across France, despite the geographical distances involved. For example, 32 people who reviewed this business also reviewed the same clairvoyance business in northern France, and 21 reviewed the same locksmith/glazier business.

Is it normal for Google to take no action after 4 months ? What more can I do?

I doubt that most reports are as detailed as mine, with an investigation, screenshots, linguistic analysis, identification of part of the account network, analysis of the account profiles, and so on.
Despite all this, Google has still done nothing four months later.

Thank you for your help!

 

[fisicx]

There are millions of fake reviews reported daily. And for every million taken down another million are posted.

Google may not even have read your report. It's an automated process (probably with some AI bot doing thing), no humans ever get involved. Something might happen one day. Or it might not. I wouldn't hold my breath hoping for a result. It's something @keyserholiday knows a lot more about than I do.

 

[JesseJamesWest]

There are millions of fake reviews reported daily. And for every million taken down another million are posted.

Google may not even have read your report. It's an automated process (probably with some AI bot doing thing), no humans ever get involved. Something might happen one day. Or it might not. I wouldn't hold my breath hoping for a result. It's something @keyserholiday knows a lot more about than I do.Thank you for your reply!

Thank you for your reply!

Before conducting my investigation, I never would have imagined the scale of fake review fraud on Google Maps, nor how unclear Google’s reporting systems are for this kind of abuse and how slow their teams can be.

I thought that if I was able to find all these pieces of evidence and anomalies myself, Google would be able to detect them even more effectively. Apparently, that does not seem to be the case.

At this point, I honestly feel like all the investigative work I have done over several months has not led to anything so far.

 

[fisicx]

Statistically your findings are insignificant when compared to the number of reviews posted each day. And they may not even be paid for. There are a huge number of local guides writing reviews for businesses they have never used. They do this to build up their ratings so they can then sell their services. The whole review industry is riddled with fraud. Not just Google - all review platforms have the same problem as does all social media.

 

[JesseJamesWest]

Statistically your findings are insignificant when compared to the number of reviews posted each day. And they may not even be paid for. There are a huge number of local guides writing reviews for businesses they have never used. They do this to build up their ratings so they can then sell their services. The whole review industry is riddled with fraud. Not just Google - all review platforms have the same problem as does all social media.

I know I'm just a drop in the ocean when it comes to fake reviews, haha!

However, I took this investigation much further than most people would. I managed to identify part of the network of accounts reviewing this business, showing that many of them also reviewed the same unrelated businesses across France on Google Maps. I also carried out statistical and linguistic analyses, as well as a sector audit comparing this business with its competitors.

I believe I have strong evidence. If Google decides not to act, my case is also in the hands of the French consumer protection authorities . Even if Google ignores my report, they will still have to respond to the authorities' requests.

Google removed 292 million fake reviews in 2025, but in my opinion, that probably represents no more than 10% of the total number of fake reviews. I think Google's systems focus too much on reviewing individual reviews instead of analyzing an entire business listing to detect broader fraud patterns.

I'll wait and post an update here if anything happens !