Fake Google Reviews

Reading reviews is one of the best ways to help decide on a product or service. Nearly every restaurant and business out there have reviews, but can you spot the fake reviews among the legitimate? A fake review may be from an account that has no other reviews, or only posts one-star reviews elsewhere. The picture above is a screenshot of one of my reviews – I have a profile picture, and several reviews (though Ben has lots more!) You should also be wary of reviews if all of them are within a small timeline, which points to a business owner possibly buying fake reviews or getting their friends to do them all at once. I also like to see how a business responds to negative reviews – do they respond professionally, or become rude and defensive? Finally, it’s worth skimming the names of the reviewers for red flags. I once saw on a babysitting app that the babysitter reviewed herself with just a slightly different name – no thanks!