How to respond to a fake Google review
What to do when a Google review looks fake: how to report it, what to say publicly, and what never to do.
20 October 2026
A fake review is frustrating, and the temptation is to say so in public. That usually backfires: a public accusation looks defensive to everyone who has not seen your booking system.
First, decide whether it is actually fake. Wrong business, a review about a service you do not offer, a reviewer who never visited, a competitor campaign, or an attempt to extract a refund. Write down why you believe it, with dates and records.
Report it through Google's own process. In your Business Profile, use the three-dot menu on the review and choose the reason that fits. Google does not guarantee removal and rarely explains its decisions, so keep a copy of the evidence.
If the review stays up, reply once — for future readers, not for the reviewer. Keep it factual and short: you cannot find a record of the visit, you take the claim seriously, and you invite them to contact you with details. Do not call them a liar.
Example: “Thank you for the feedback. We cannot match this review to a booking or order in our records, and we would like to understand what happened. Please contact us directly with the date and name on the booking so we can look into it. — The team at [Business]”
Never offer money or a free service to make a review go away. Paying someone who threatens your rating encourages more of the same and can breach the platform's rules about incentives.
Do not ask happy customers to drown out the fake review in a single burst. A sudden spike of five-star reviews looks coordinated and can itself be filtered. Ask customers steadily, after a real visit, and never for a particular rating.
If the campaign is organised and persistent, document everything and consider legal advice. That is a last resort, not a reply strategy.
The practical defence is a steady flow of genuine reviews and consistent replies. Ratingly helps with the reply side: every draft is specific, calm and checked before you use it. If reviews are becoming a pattern rather than an incident, see online reputation management.