Fake reviews—positive or negative—distort trust and undermine your Google Business Profile (GBP). A planted one-star can drag your rating down. A wave of artificial five-stars can mislead customers and trigger policy violations. Google treats review manipulation as a serious breach and uses AI-driven systems to detect and remove it.
This guide explains how to spot fake reviews, how Google identifies them, and the steps you can take to protect your profile. With Uprank, you can also automate monitoring, detect suspicious activity early, and safeguard your local SEO performance.
A fake review is any content not based on a genuine customer experience, or written to mislead. Examples include:
Reviews by the owner, staff, friends, or family.
Paid or incentivised reviews (including offers to remove negative ones).
Coordinated attacks on competitors.
Bulk five-star reviews from non-customers.
Duplicate text – Copy-paste reviews repeated across profiles.
Suspicious reviewer profiles – Accounts with only 1–2 reviews or reviews scattered globally in hours.
No context – Reviews with no staff, product, or service detail.
References to competitors – Negative reviews pointing customers elsewhere.
Generic language – Extreme but vague claims: “Worst ever” or “Best place.”
Uprank audits flag these patterns automatically.
Google uses advanced machine learning and behaviour tracking. Core checks include:
Writing style: NLP identifies repeated phrases, tone, or excessive emojis.
Volume spikes: Large sudden bursts of reviews raise suspicion.
Reviewer location: Profiles leaving reviews for businesses they’ve never visited may be flagged.
Visit history: Reviews without supporting visit data may lose credibility.
IP clustering: Multiple accounts posting from the same Wi-Fi or device suggest stuffing.
Immediate removal of violating reviews.
Freezing of new reviews.
Profile warnings or reduced visibility.
Log into your Google Business Profile Manager.
Open Reviews → select the review → click the three-dot menu → Report review.
Choose the violation type (e.g. “Spam” or “Fake/Deceptive”) → submit.
Follow up if Google takes no action. Multiple independent reports improve success rates.
Monitor daily: Use Uprank to track and flag suspicious activity.
Respond professionally: Every review—fake or real—shapes perception.
Educate staff: Never offer incentives. Encourage detailed, authentic feedback.
Keep records: Receipts, communications, and schedules help dispute false claims.
Yes, Google can detect fake reviews. But detection isn’t perfect, so vigilance matters. Consistent monitoring, timely reporting, and a steady stream of authentic feedback remain your best defence.
Want to know if fake reviews are hurting your rankings? Run a free Uprank audit and see how your GBP really performs.