How to Deal with or Remove Fake Negative Google Reviews

By Jeff Lenney, Affiliate Marketing & Online Reputation Expert

Look, we’ve all been there. You’re having a perfectly decent Monday morning, coffee in hand, ready to crush the day, when BAM – some random person named “BestCustomerEver2023” drops a one-star review on your Google Business Profile claiming your company killed their dog. Plot twist: you run a digital marketing agency and have never even met this person’s dog.

I’m Jeff Lenney, and after spending the last 15+ years in the digital marketing trenches in sunny Orange County, California, I’ve seen it all. From competitors leaving fake reviews to angry ex-employees with an axe to grind, to people who are genuinely confused about which business they’re actually reviewing.

Today I’m going to walk you through exactly how to handle those fake negative Google reviews that make your blood pressure rival Mount Vesuvius. We’ll cover everything from keeping your cool (something I’m still working on, just ask my wife) to the nuclear option of my premium removal service (spoiler alert: it works, but I’m not cheap).

Why Fake Negative Reviews Are Such a Pain in the Ass

Let’s get something straight right off the bat: legitimate negative reviews are actually valuable. They help you improve your business, identify blind spots, and show potential customers that you’re a real company serving real humans who occasionally have real complaints.

But fake negative reviews? Those bastards can:

• Tank your overall star rating, making you look worse than your competitors
• Scare away potential customers who don’t bother reading the actual review content
• Damage your hard-earned reputation that you’ve spent years building
• Hurt your local SEO rankings since Google does factor review quality into their algorithm
• Make you question humanity and consider moving to a remote cabin in the woods

A year back, I had a client in the financial services industry who got hit with seven 1-star reviews overnight. All from “customers” claiming they were scammed out of thousands of dollars. Small problem: they were a brand new company that had served exactly four clients at that point, all of whom were personal friends of the founder.

That wasn’t a fun week.

How to Spot a Fake Negative Review

Before you can fight the enemy, you need to identify them. Here are some telltale signs of fake reviews:

Generic usernames: Real reviewers typically have established Google accounts with multiple reviews. Names like “John S” or “Happy Customer” with only one review in their history should raise eyebrows.

Vague complaints: Legitimate negative reviews usually mention specific issues with your product or service. If the review is full of general complaints without any details, it’s probably fake.

Competitor mentions: If the review explicitly recommends a competitor, that’s a massive red flag waving in your face.

Mismatched details: If they mention products you don’t sell or services you don’t offer, they’ve probably got the wrong business (or they’re making it up).

Review bombs: Multiple negative reviews appearing within a short time frame, especially with similar language or complaints.

I once had this client who ran a local pizza place get a one-star review complaining about the “terrible customer service and broken washing machines.” Turns out, the reviewer thought they were reviewing the laundromat next door. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.

The Step-by-Step Guide to Handling Fake Negative Google Reviews

Step 1: Don’t Lose Your Sh*t (At Least Not Publicly)

My first instinct when I see a fake review is usually to fire off a response that would make a sailor blush. Don’t do that. Take a deep breath. Maybe take a walk. Perhaps pour yourself a drink if it’s after noon (or before, I don’t judge).

Remember that your response to the review is just as visible as the review itself. Future customers will judge you on how you handle criticism, even the fake kind.

Step 2: Respond Professionally (Even Though It Kills You Inside)

Once you’ve calmed down, craft a professional response. Here’s my go-to template:

“Hi [Reviewer Name],

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. However, we don’t have any record of a customer matching your description or experiencing the issues you’ve mentioned. We take all customer concerns seriously, so please contact me directly at [your email/phone] so we can identify what happened and make it right.

Best regards, [Your Name]”

What this does is:

• Shows other potential customers you’re responsive and professional
• Subtly calls out the review as suspicious without being accusatory
• Gives you a paper trail for Google if the reviewer never responds
• Makes you look like the reasonable adult in the room

When my digital marketing agency got a review claiming we “ruined their wedding cake,” I responded with this template. Spoiler alert: they never contacted me about their allegedly ruined cake, and Google eventually removed the review.

Step 3: Flag the Review to Google (With Proper Documentation)

Now it’s time to get that review taken down. Here’s exactly how to do it:

1. Log into your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business, formerly Google Places, formerly Google Local Business Center, formerly Google Local, formerly “that thing where you put your business on Google maps and pray people find you”)
2. Find the review in question
3. Click the three-dot menu beside the review and select “Flag as inappropriate”
4. Select the violation type (fake content, conflict of interest, offensive content, etc.)
5. Submit your report

But don’t stop there. Google’s automated system often misses legitimate removal requests, so you need to:

6. Contact Google Business Profile Support directly through their support page
7. Provide evidence that the review violates Google’s policies, such as:
   • Screenshots showing the reviewer has never been a customer
   • Evidence that the reviewer is a competitor
   • Proof that the details mentioned are factually impossible

Pro tip: Be specific about which Google policy the review violates. Don’t just say “it’s fake” – say “this review violates Google’s Prohibited and Restricted Content policy because the reviewer has never been a customer of our business, as evidenced by our complete customer records for the past year.”

Step 4: Rally the Troops for More Positive Reviews

While you’re waiting for Google to act (which can take anywhere from 3 days to never), focus on getting more legitimate positive reviews to dilute the impact of the fake ones.

Some ethical ways to do this:

• Email your satisfied customers directly asking for a review
• Add review requests to your email signature
• Train your staff to ask happy customers for reviews
• Create a simple URL that links directly to your review page (you can use Google’s Marketing Kit for this)

I increased a client’s positive reviews by 300% in just two months by implementing a simple email sequence that went out 7 days after purchase asking for feedback. The key is making it ridiculously easy for people to leave reviews – they’re busy and won’t jump through hoops, no matter how much they love you.

Step 5: Document Everything For Your Case

If the fake review is causing significant damage to your business, you’ll want to build a case:

• Take screenshots of the review and your response
• Document attempts to contact the reviewer
• Keep records of any business impacts (canceled appointments, mentioned by potential customers, etc.)
• Log all communication with Google about the issue

This documentation is crucial if you end up needing my premium removal service (more on that later) or if you decide to pursue legal action in extreme cases.

What NOT to Do When Dealing with Fake Reviews

I’ve made every mistake in the book so you don’t have to. Here’s what not to do:

Don’t get into an argument publicly: No matter how wrong they are, arguing in the review responses just makes you look bad.

Don’t create fake positive reviews: Google is getting better at spotting these, and the penalty can be worse than the original fake negative review.

Don’t offer payment to remove the review: This can be considered extortion, and if made public, will destroy your credibility.

Don’t ignore it: Hoping it will go away rarely works, and meanwhile, it’s sitting there influencing potential customers.

Don’t immediately threaten legal action: While you might eventually need to go this route, threatening it in your public response looks overly aggressive.

I once had a client who decided to take matters into his own hands and created 20 fake 5-star reviews to counter a few negative ones. Google caught on, removed ALL his reviews (even the legitimate ones), and suspended his listing for two weeks. His business dropped by 60% during that time. Don’t be that guy.

The “Nuclear Option”: My Premium Review Removal Service

Look, I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve learned that sometimes DIY approaches just don’t cut it. Google’s review system is notoriously difficult to navigate, and their support team can be… well, let’s just say “inconsistent” to be polite.

That’s why I created my Premium Negative Review Removal Service. In short, I get fake negative reviews removed within 14 days, guaranteed.

How do I do it? Through a combination of:

1. Direct escalation channels with Google that I’ve built up over the years
2. Precise documentation that addresses specific policy violations
3. Persistence that would make a telemarketer blush
4. Technical knowledge of Google’s review algorithms and policies
5. A network of contacts in the industry who can help escalate cases

Is it expensive? Yep. I charge premium rates because:

• It works when nothing else does
• It requires specialized knowledge
• It takes significant time and effort
• The value to your business is enormous

Is it worth it? My clients seem to think so. In fact, about 70% of my new clients come from referrals from satisfied customers who’ve reclaimed their online reputation.

One restaurant owner in Irvine called me in tears after watching her rating drop from 4.7 to 3.2 stars over a weekend due to an angry ex-employee and their friends. Three weeks after working with me, all the fake reviews were gone, her rating was back up, and she was seeing a 40% increase in new reservations compared to the previous month.

Final Thoughts: Prevention Is Better Than Cure

While I’m always here to help with removal, the best strategy is to build such a solid foundation of positive reviews that a few fake negative ones barely make a dent.

Some preventative measures:

• Regularly ask happy customers for reviews
• Respond promptly to all reviews, positive and negative
• Address legitimate concerns quickly and publicly
• Monitor your reviews across all platforms, not just Google
• Build a strong online presence beyond just reviews

The digital reputation landscape is only getting more complex, and fake reviews aren’t going anywhere. Whether you tackle them yourself using the steps outlined above or bring in the big guns (ahem, me), the important thing is that you don’t let fake reviews define your business’s online presence.

If you’ve tried everything I’ve outlined here and still can’t get those stubborn fake reviews removed, it might be time for us to talk. You can reach me through my website, where I offer free consultations to determine if my premium service is right for your situation.

Remember: your online reputation is often the first impression potential customers get of your business. It’s worth protecting, even if that protection comes with a premium price tag.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go help a client who just got a one-star review claiming their accounting firm gave someone food poisoning.

The internet, folks. It’s a wild place.

Jeff Lenney is a digital marketing expert specializing in affiliate marketing and online reputation management based in Orange County, California. When he’s not fighting fake reviews or creating affiliate campaigns, he can be found offroading his jeep with his 2 kids (his wife is not a fan), drinking too much coffee, and explaining to his kids why they can’t trust everything they read online.