Fake Google reviews: the law, the risks of buying reviews, and what to do

Maybe an offer landed in your inbox: "50 five-star Google reviews for $99." Or a competitor's rating jumped overnight. Before you buy, or before you get angry, here's what the law and Google's rules actually say.

Legal status as of October 19, 2026, checked against official sources (eCFR, FTC, legislation.gov.uk, the CMA, EUR-Lex) and Google's help center. This is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute, talk to a lawyer.

What counts as a fake review?

A fake review is one that doesn't reflect a genuine experience. The UK's DMCC Act puts it simply: a review that "purports to be, but is not, based on a person's genuine experience." The FTC rule covers reviews that misrepresent that they come from a real customer, or that misrepresent the reviewer's experience.

In practice, that includes:

• reviews the business writes about itself, or has staff, friends or family write while posing as customers;
• reviews bought from a platform, a "reputation agency" or paid individuals;
• AI-generated reviews posted from fake accounts;
• negative reviews posted against a competitor, or commissioned to hurt one;
• real reviews edited or rewritten for marketing purposes.

What does US law say? The FTC rule

The FTC's Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465) was finalized in August 2024 and took effect on October 21, 2024. It prohibits:

Penalties. The rule lets the FTC seek civil penalties for knowing violations. The maximum under the FTC Act is $53,088 per violation (the 2025 inflation-adjusted figure in 16 CFR 1.98, which the FTC kept for 2026 in a Federal Register notice published September 15, 2026).

Two nuances worth knowing. The rule doesn't ban every incentive: you may reward reviews if the reward isn't tied to a positive or negative rating, and the FTC Act still requires disclosure. And it targets the business that commissions the reviews, not only the seller.

What does UK law say? The DMCC Act

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 added fake reviews to its list of banned practices (Schedule 20, paragraph 13), in force since April 2025. It bans:

• submitting, or commissioning someone to submit or write, a fake review, or a review that hides the fact it was incentivised;
• publishing reviews or review information in a misleading way;
• publishing reviews without taking reasonable and proportionate steps to prevent and remove fake and concealed incentivised reviews;
• offering services to traders that do or facilitate any of the above.

"Commissioning" includes incentivising by any means, and the CMA's guidance says asking a member of staff to write a review counts. Under the new regime, the CMA can fine a company up to 10% of its global turnover for breaking consumer protection law.

If you also sell in the EU, the Omnibus Directive (EU) 2019/2161 has made fake reviews a banned practice "in all circumstances" in every member state since May 28, 2022.

What do Google's rules say?

Stricter than the FTC on one point: any incentive is banned, whatever the rating. Google Maps' "Prohibited & restricted content" policy bans, among other things:

• reviews or ratings paid for, directly or in kind;
• offering payment, discounts, or free goods or services in exchange for a review, or to change or remove a negative one;
• content posted from multiple accounts by or at the request of one person;
• reviews based on a conflict of interest (employees, family, competitors);
• posting on a competitor's profile to hurt its reputation;
• discouraging negative reviews or asking only happy customers ("review gating");
• requiring customers to leave a review on the premises, or setting staff quotas for reviews.

What you can do: ask every customer for an honest review, with no reward and no pressure on the rating. That's the whole idea behind our guide on how to get more Google reviews. Managing your reputation as a whole is covered in our guide to online reputation management.

What happens if you buy Google reviews?

The legal exposure is only part of it. The practical risks hit first:

Google emails the owner before applying a restriction and offers an appeal, but a public warning, while it's up, does more damage than a few bad reviews.

Is it still legal to ask customers for reviews?

Yes, and it's the right way to build a rating. All three rule sets agree on the basics:

• Ask everyone, not only customers you expect to be happy. Google bans selective solicitation ("review gating"), and the FTC rule targets incentives tied to a positive rating.
• Don't reward the review on Google. The FTC allows disclosed incentives that don't depend on sentiment, but Google's own policy bans any incentive for a Google review, so a discount for a review is off the table there.
• Don't pressure people on the spot or set review quotas for staff; Google bans both.
• Don't edit, filter or reword reviews you republish on your own site.

A short, honest request at the right moment works better than any trick. See our review request text and email templates.

How to spot fake Google reviews

No single sign proves anything. Look for several at once.

• A brand-new reviewer profile with no photo, or all reviews posted in the same week.
• Dozens of reviews posted the same day across businesses in unrelated cities or industries.
• Generic praise or complaints that could fit any business.
• A sudden spike of 5-star or 1-star ratings with no event to explain it.
• Several reviews with nearly identical wording.
• Wrong details: a dish you don't serve, a service you don't offer, a day you're closed.
• A customer you can't find in your bookings, invoices or appointments.

What to do about fake reviews

Fake negative reviews on your profile. Report each one from your Business Profile or Google's Reviews Management Tool, pick the right policy reason, and appeal if needed. Our guide on how to remove a Google review walks through the steps, timelines and the extortion scam. Reply anyway, briefly: "We can't find your visit in our records. Please contact us so we can look into it." More wording in our guide to responding to negative reviews. And if a genuine review vanishes from your profile, Google's spam filter is often the cause: see Google reviews not showing. Don't threaten the reviewer: under the FTC rule, unfounded legal threats to get a review removed count as illegal review suppression.

A competitor inflating their rating. Anyone can report a review in Google Maps, so flag the suspicious ones. In the US you can report the practice to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; in the UK, to the CMA or through Citizens Advice. Keep dated screenshots.

Finding out who posted a review. Google won't tell you on request. A court can order Google to disclose identifying information as part of a lawsuit, typically for defamation. That needs a lawyer.

And if you show reviews on your own website?

The same rules reach you. Under the FTC rule, presenting the reviews on your site as complete while hiding negative ones counts as review suppression, and the UK act bans publishing reviews in a misleading way. Showing reviews synced straight from your Google profile, unedited, with names and dates, is the simplest way to stay transparent. See our review management software and the best Google reviews widgets compared.

FAQ

Are fake Google reviews legal?

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No. In the US, the FTC rule bans businesses from writing, buying or selling fake reviews, including reviews from people who never used the business. In the UK and the EU, fake reviews are a banned commercial practice in all circumstances. Google's policies prohibit them too.

Is it illegal to buy Google reviews?

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Yes. The FTC rule prohibits buying fake or false reviews and offering incentives conditioned on a positive or negative review. In the UK, commissioning fake reviews is a banned practice under the DMCC Act. Google bans any paid review, even without a condition on the rating.

Can you go to jail for fake reviews?

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The FTC rule is enforced with civil penalties, not jail time. Separate fraud or extortion laws can apply to some schemes, and some EU countries, such as France, provide criminal penalties for misleading commercial practices.

Does Google detect fake reviews?

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Google removes reviews its systems flag as fake, and for businesses that violate its fake engagement policy it can temporarily block new reviews, unpublish existing ones or show customers a warning that fake reviews were removed.

How do I know if Google reviews are fake?

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Look for clusters of signals: brand-new reviewer profiles, dozens of reviews posted the same day across unrelated businesses, generic text that could fit any company, sudden spikes of 5-star or 1-star ratings, and customers you can't find in your records.

Can fake Google reviews be traced?

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Not by you directly. Google doesn't reveal who posted a review on request. A court can order Google to disclose identifying information in a lawsuit, which requires a lawyer and a legal claim, such as defamation.

Can I offer a discount for a Google review?

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Not on Google. The FTC rule allows incentives that aren't tied to sentiment if they're disclosed, but Google's policy bans offering payment, discounts or free products in exchange for any review.

Sources

1. eCFR: 16 CFR Part 465, Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials
2. FTC: Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, Questions and Answers
3. Federal Register: FTC Civil Penalty Inflation Adjustments (2025 levels kept for 2026), September 15, 2026
4. legislation.gov.uk: Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Schedule 20
5. CMA: Fake reviews guidance (CMA208), April 4, 2025
6. Google Business Profile Help: Business Profile restrictions for policy violations