Scammers are blackmailing Dutch companies with fake reviews on Google

Dutch business owners are being bombarded with fake online reviews. Then they receive a message from a foreign number: pay up to have the negative reviews removed, or more will appear online.

Victims first receive dozens of fake reviews on Google to demonstrate what scammers are capable of.

This is followed by a WhatsApp message, originating from a foreign phone number, containing a threat: pay us, or we will publish more negative reviews online. The scammers often demand hundreds of euros.

Fake reviews can have devastating consequences for businesses. They can scare off potential customers and even cause a business to drop in Google’s search results, damaging a company’s reputation and costing the business owner large amounts of money.

Dutch news outlet NOS spoke with 18 companies from various sectors that had to deal with blackmail, including construction companies, locksmiths, rental companies, and roofers. These companies are primarily targeted by scammers because they heavily rely on online reviews.

One of the victims told the news outlet he received 30 fake reviews in just a couple of minutes.

“Our rating dropped from 5 stars to 3.9 stars. This definitely caused me to lose new customers. Even a regular customer said he had second thoughts. Fortunately, he had seen that I had commented on the fake reviews, saying that it was a smear campaign,” one of the affected companies told NOS.

To tackle fake reviews, businesses should contact Google. However, victims say it can take up to weeks or even months before the fake reviews are removed.

In a response, Google says that it usually takes “a few days” to review a report and that it takes “prompt action” once it has been reviewed. The tech company hasn’t responded to claims from affected companies that it’s a very difficult and time-consuming process.

Unlock more exclusive Cybernews content on YouTube.