On Tuesday, July 12, Engadget reported that several restaurant owners have been blackmailed for weeks by online scammers. 

The owners revealed that they had been targeted by scammers who intentionally posted negative reviews of their restaurants on Google and then demanded digital gift cards as the price for removing the reviews. 

Scammers Target Restaurant Users

According to The New York Times, the owners of restaurants in cities including Chicago, New York, and San Francisco revealed that their businesses had been deluged with negative, one-star reviews on Google Maps, Google Reviews, and other Google platforms. 

The reviews are posted by scammers who email the restaurant owners and pledge to remove the negative, one-star rating in exchange for a $75 Google Play gift card, according to Engadget. 

If the restaurant owner does not comply with the demand, the scammers will post more negative reviews. 

In an email sent to the restaurant owners, the scammers apologized for their actions, claiming that they had "no other choice."

The scammers said in the email that they are based in India and that the gift card would help cover basic expenses for them and their families for weeks. 

Also Read: New Google Lawsuit Targets Google Maps and Other Tools; Another Monopolization? 

The restaurant owners are directed to deposit the gift card into an email account managed by ProtonMail, an end-to-end encrypted email service based in Switzerland.

Google Maps spokesperson said that their team is actively investigating the situation and have already started removing cases of policy-violating content. 

The spokesperson added that their policies clearly state reviews must be based on real experiences. When they find policy violations, they take "swift action raging from content removal to account suspension and even litigation.'

Google Maps' spokesperson also said that they encourage users and business owners to flag suspicious activity to them as it helps them keep the information on Maps accurate and reliable. 

What to Do When You Got a Fake Review?

As both the authorities and Google work on fixing the ongoing problem with scammers, it is best to know how to remove fake reviews to help your business's online status, according to Broadly. 

Sometimes, you will know whether a review is fake or not. Some signs of fake reviews include strange or vague language, tons of spelling errors, or references to people who do not work at your company. 

However, there are fake reviews that might be more difficult to spot. For example, the reviewer may go into detail about why they were not satisfied with the service. 

What you can do is respond to the negative reviews in a timely fashion.

Be prompt with writing back to any business review, as it will show other customers that you care about their feedback and concerns. Potential customers can already see the type of customer experience they may get if they go to your company. 

You can also flag fake reviews so that the Google team can look at the content and decide whether or not it should be removed from your page. 

Remember, it takes several days before Google can remove the negative review, so it is best to clarify any misunderstandings with the customer while waiting for the verdict.  

Related Article: Google and Amazon Fake Reviews Efforts Face Probe in the UK - Protection of Consumers Questioned 

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster