Fake Review Posted Across Multiple GBP Listings – Seeking Guidance

[ganapathy]

Hi everyone,
We recently received what appears to be a fake negative review on our Google Business Profile and are seeking guidance on how to proceed further, as our previous actions have not been successful.
Details of the Review:

• Reviewer Name: Don M
• Review Text: “Horrendous customer service. No show guards, no clue operations centre. Disgraceful. Do not hire.”
• Rating: 1 star
• Business Name: Southern Cross Group Services
• Maps Link: Google Maps Listing
• Review Summary: View Review

We believe this review violates Google’s Contribution Policies, as it appears to be spam or fake engagement.

Actions Taken So Far:

1. Reported the review as “Off-topic.”
2. Replied to the review, inviting the reviewer to contact us — no response received.
3. Submitted a formal request for removal via the Google Review Management Tool (Case ID: 3-9154000040316).

Response from Google Support:
Google Business Profile Support replied that the review “does not violate our policies” and therefore could not be removed.

Evidence Suggesting It’s Fake:

• The same review text has been posted across approximately 15 different Google Business Profiles, spanning multiple locations and three different companies, including:
  1. Southern Cross Group Services
  2. Southern Cross Protection
  3. Southern Cross Investigations
• Our company has no record of any customer interaction or engagement with this reviewer.
• We are independent and not affiliated with Southern Cross Protection or any similarly named entities.

This pattern strongly suggests repetitive and misleading content, potentially violating Google’s guidelines on spam and fake engagement.
Any insights or recommendations from the community on how to escalate or effectively handle this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your support.

 

[keyserholiday]

Please post on the help forum.

Here is what you need to post:

The same person posts similar reviews on 15 of our locations. We flagged the reviews and have case ID: 3-9154000040316. Can these reviews be esclated for removal?

Make sure that you include the screenshot.