What are the red flags of this scam?

Multiple one-star reviews appear in quick succession from accounts with no history, generic usernames, or no prior reviews on any business • A WhatsApp message arrives from an unknown overseas number within 24–48 hours, claiming they can make the bad reviews disappear for a fee • The message explicitly admits the reviews were posted by the sender or their group — this is the extortion pitch • Payment is requested in US dollars via PayPal, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer — not through any Google official channel • Paying once is followed by further demands or a second wave of fake reviews

What should I do if this happened to me?

Do NOT pay — payment rarely removes the reviews and signals you will pay again, inviting further demands • Report the reviews via Google Business Profile: flag each fake review as 'Not a real review of this business' and use Google's Merchant Extortion report form if available • Screenshot everything: the fake reviews, the WhatsApp messages, and any payment demands — you will need these for police and platform reports • Block and report the WhatsApp number to WhatsApp as spam • Consider a professional response to each fake review to reassure real customers — potential customers check how you respond • Report to the ACCC via Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam and to the Australian Federal Police through ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

MEDIUM other Last reported: 30 Sept 2026 Share

Fake one-star Google reviews flood your business profile — pay to remove them

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. Scammers flood a business Google profile with fake one-star reviews over 24–48 hours, then send a WhatsApp message demanding $60–$200 to delete them. Paying does not guarantee removal and invites further demands. Most operations trace to organised networks in South Asia and Eastern Europe.

Scammers flood a business Google profile with fake one-star reviews over 24–48 hours, then send a WhatsApp message demanding $60–$200 to delete them. Paying does not guarantee removal and invites further demands. Most operations trace to organised networks in South Asia and Eastern Europe.

Also known as: Google review extortion, fake review attack, negative review scam, Google Business Profile extortion

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Do NOT pay — payment rarely removes the reviews and signals you will pay again, inviting further demands
2 Report the reviews via Google Business Profile: flag each fake review as 'Not a real review of this business' and use Google's Merchant Extortion report form if available
3 Screenshot everything: the fake reviews, the WhatsApp messages, and any payment demands — you will need these for police and platform reports
4 Block and report the WhatsApp number to WhatsApp as spam
5 Consider a professional response to each fake review to reassure real customers — potential customers check how you respond
6 Report to the ACCC via Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam and to the Australian Federal Police through ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

Red flags

⚠ Multiple one-star reviews appear in quick succession from accounts with no history, generic usernames, or no prior reviews on any business
⚠ A WhatsApp message arrives from an unknown overseas number within 24–48 hours, claiming they can make the bad reviews disappear for a fee
⚠ The message explicitly admits the reviews were posted by the sender or their group — this is the extortion pitch
⚠ Payment is requested in US dollars via PayPal, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer — not through any Google official channel
⚠ Paying once is followed by further demands or a second wave of fake reviews

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Sources