Prospect Genius

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There’s a troubling new scam making the rounds, and it’s picking up steam fast. Fake 1-star Google reviews are being posted on small business listings, followed by extortion-style emails demanding payment to take them down. Unfortunately, two of our clients (BNP consulting & Lock Works) have already been hit by it.

For small and local businesses that depend on online reviews to build trust and bring in new customers, this kind of scam is more than just annoying, it’s a real threat to your reputation and your bottom line.

So let’s talk about what this scam looks like, how to tell if you’re being targeted, what to do if it happens to you, and how to tell the difference between real help and bad actors just looking to make a quick buck.

What Is a Review Extortion Scam?

Here’s how it usually works:

Someone leaves a 1-star Google review on your business profile. You can’t find any record of this person being a real customer. Then, you get an email or message saying something like:

“If you pay us $500, we’ll take down the 25 one-star reviews we just posted on your GBP.”

It’s straight-up blackmail. And unfortunately, it’s effective, especially when a small business is desperate to protect their hard-earned reputation.

How to Spot a Fake or Scam Review

Some of these review scams are more obvious than others, but here are a few key things to watch for when you’re trying to figure out whether a review is legitimate:

• Phone numbers in the review: If the review text or profile image includes a phone number, that’s a major red flag. Never call the number, this is just another way to lure you into direct contact.
• Check the reviewer’s history: If the profile has no other reviews or only one or two, that’s a sign it may be fake. Real reviewers usually have a history of rating other businesses.
• Look at the name and photo: Does the name sound made up? Is the profile image missing or clearly fake? Generic usernames like “John Doe” are often used by scammers.
• Cross-check your own records: Look in your CRM, booking system, or customer database. If the reviewer never showed up in your workflow, they probably never interacted with your business.
• Trust your instincts: If something feels off, it probably is. Scam reviews often use vague or generic language and may follow a similar structure or tone across multiple reviews.

Why Are Small and Local Businesses Being Targeted?

Scammers go after small businesses because they know your reputation matters, and they know you already have more on your plate than hours in the day.

Local businesses often rely heavily on Google reviews to attract new customers. Whether you run a restaurant, a local shop, or offer professional services, those gold stars are often the first thing people see when they search for what you offer.

Just one 1-star review can hurt your ranking or cause customers to look elsewhere. Scammers are counting on that fear and hoping you’ll pay just to make the problem go away.

Google’s Official Guidance: What You Should Do

Because this has become such a common problem, Google now has an official support article that outlines what to do in the case of review extortion: How to report and remove review extortion scams.

Here’s a summary of the steps:

1. Don’t engage with the scammer
   Never respond directly. It only encourages them.
2. Flag the review as inappropriate
   In your Google Business Profile, report the review by selecting “Off-topic” or “Spam.”
3. Use the Business Profile Help
   Head to your Google Business dashboard and get in touch with their support team. You can request a callback or chat with a representative to escalate the issue.
4. Keep a record
   Take screenshots of the review, any messages you’ve received, and note the dates. This can be helpful if the issue escalates or if additional reviews appear.
5. Encourage real reviews
   One of the best ways to fight back is to flood your profile with authentic 5-star reviews from real customers.

Constantly working to get those 5-star reviews is your best defensive strategy. It helps you in tons of other ways by driving better rankings and conversions, but it also makes you a harder target. Overcoming 200 5-stars is much harder than burying someone who has only 20.

But What If You Need Help Navigating It?

Yes, you can tackle this mess yourself. Google has a process, and if you’ve got the time and patience to follow it step by step, you can get through it.

Most of the time, our clients see this as high-stakes and time-consuming enough to hand off to a pro. Every day your listing is down or your rating is trashed can cost you real money so this isn’t something most people are willing to play with.

Put it this way: If you had a compound fracture (bone sticking out, blood everywhere) you wouldn’t try to fix it yourself. You’d head straight to the hospital. Same goes here. When your business’s reputation is bleeding out, you want someone who knows how to stop the damage fast and get things back to normal.

Unlike the scammers, we’re not the arsonist pretending to be the firefighter. We’re just here to help clean up the mess. Our Star Saver service was built for situations like this, and it’s been a quick solution to a sticky problem for a lot of clients.

Final Thoughts

Review extortion scams are an unfortunate reality of doing business online today. But you’re not powerless.

With Google now officially acknowledging the problem, it’s more important than ever to stay informed and act quickly when suspicious activity shows up on your listing. Whether you handle it yourself or work with a trusted partner, the most important thing is to protect your reputation without giving in to threats.

Need a hand? We’re here for you, because you shouldn’t have to fight scammers, or Google’s policies, alone.

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You’ve probably had at least a few smooth-talking marketing folks try to sell you on a “game-changing” package. They’ll throw out big promises and bigger price tags, hoping you’ll sign a long-term contract before you ask too many questions.

Here’s the thing: most of these folks are better at selling themselves than actually bringing you work. So how do you spot the ones who talk a big game but can’t deliver?

Here are six red flags to help you sniff out the BS before you step in it:

1. They Speak in Buzzwords You Don’t Understand

“We’re leveraging PPC to optimize your ROI while aligning your conversion funnel.” Sound familiar?

If someone can’t explain what they do in plain English, chances are they don’t fully understand it either. If they wouldn’t say it at a backyard BBQ, don’t let them say it to you in a sales meeting.

Sure, some jargon will slip into the conversation, that’s inevitable. The red flag is when it’s a steady stream of buzzwords and no effort to explain them (unless you press for it). If they can’t break it down like they’re talking to a relative, you’re not talking to a pro.

2. They Promise You’ll Be “Top of Google” Fast

Getting to the top of Google is like building a house, it takes time, tools, and the right crew. Anyone promising instant SEO results is either lying or using shady tactics that can hurt you down the road.

Now, if you’re running paid ads (PPC), you can buy your way to the top of Google, but that’s not SEO. And it gets expensive fast. A good strategy often uses both, but they need to be coordinated.

The real red flag? When someone talks about instant organic rankings. That’s not how SEO works. Those two go together like ice cream and pickles.

3. They Don’t Ask About Your Business Details

A good marketer doesn’t show up with a pitch deck, they show up with questions. The kind that prove they actually care about making your business succeed. Like:

• Which jobs make you the most money?
• Which towns, cities, or neighborhoods do you want to target?
• Is your focus being low-cost, high-value, premium best-of-the-best, or something else?

If they skip all that and jump straight into a cookie-cutter pitch, they’re not marketing your business, they’re just selling theirs.

4. They Push You Into a Long-Term Contract on Day One

Why lock you into a year-long deal before they’ve proven anything? Simple: they want guaranteed money whether their strategy works or not. A confident, competent marketing partner will offer flexible terms and let their results do the convincing.

That said, it’s not unreasonable to ask for a short-term commitment, something like 3-6 months, especially with SEO campaigns. Results take time. You need content, links, and technical work to be created. Then platforms like Google have to find, index, and rank that content. None of that is instant.

Still, be cautious. Long-term contracts are a favorite tactic of low-quality marketers. They’re often used to lock in revenue without having to actually perform.

5. They Talk About “Brand Awareness” Instead of Leads

Brand awareness is nice, but unless it turns into calls, emails, or bookings, it’s not doing much for you. You’re not here to win design awards; you’re here to get jobs.

Clicks, traffic, and time-on-page are fine to monitor, but they’re not the goal. They’re just early signs that something might be working. A good marketer keeps the main thing the main thing: leads.

6. They Have No Track Record in Your Industry

If you run an appliance repair business and they show you case studies from hair salons or t-shirt shops, that’s a problem.

You need someone who knows how to get results for industries like yours, contractors, electricians, HVAC, plumbing, and so on. While 80% of digital marketing strategies are transferable, the other 20% is industry-specific. That part matters a lot.

Ask to see actual examples from businesses in the trades. If they can’t show you that, you don’t want to be their guinea pig.

Bottom line?

If your gut says something’s off, trust it. This industry is full of slick talkers, snake oil salesmen, and rookies trying to fake it till they make it. Good providers do exist, but this is shark-infested water, so you need to know how to spot a dolphin from a shark.

You’ve worked too hard to hand over your budget to someone who sounds smart but can’t show results. It’s better to have a simple website and a packed calendar than a slick setup that doesn’t bring in a dime.