Most cases of review extortion start the same way.
A business owner logs into their Google Business Profile account and sees a wall of one-star reviews from people they’ve never heard of. It’s confusing because none of the details mentioned in the reviews match their actual customers.
And their business’s rating is now down by one or more stars.
Then, a message arrives. Sometimes by email, other times by WhatsApp. And in some cases, from a Telegram account with no profile picture.
It says:
“We’ve posted bad reviews. We can remove them if you pay.”
This sounds like a horror story. But in 2025, it’s almost a whole industry.
Review extortion, a tactic where bad actors use fake Google reviews as leverage to demand money from business owners, has beecome one of the most common forms of digital blackmail.
It’s affected all types of local businesses, including contractors, dentists, HVAC firms, and moving companies.
How the Scam Works (and Why It Hits So Hard)
All review extortion scams follow a similar script.
A business gets hit with a large number of one-star reviews quickly (usually within 24-72 hours). The reviews use vague and repetitive language, and are often reused across multiple businesses in different locations.
Shortly after, someone reaches out to the business owner and offers a solution. In more or less threatening language, they ask for money in order to remove the reviews.
And a lot of business owners pay because the leverage is real. The average local business relies on Google reviews and its star rating to attract new customers.
In our own research, we’ve found that 78% of consumers won’t even consider a business with a rating below 4 stars. So you can imagine how a streak of bad reviews could ruin a local business overnight.
Unfortunately, what many business owners discover is that paying the scammers only invites more attacks.
Those that decide not to pay and fight back instead usually try to reply to the fake reviews, plead publicly, or confront the scammers directly.
But that can also backfire because responding shows the scammers that you’re paying attention and that you’re worried, confirming that there’s leverage for them to exploit.
Google’s Quiet Response: A New Way to Fight Back
To address the latest surge in these types of scams, Google launched a dedicated form business owners can use to report instances of review extortion.
When filling out the form, business owners are required to provide evidence in the form of screenshots of emails or chat conversations showing extortion demands and the dates and times when they were made.
Early reports claim that Google removes the fake reviews fairly quickly after a report has been submitted, in some cases overnight.
The solution is far from perfect, though. You still need the scammer to make an explicit threat. And at this moment, Google doesn’t share any details about its investigation, making the entire process feel opaque.
How Smart Businesses Protect Themselves Without Feeding the Scam
The businesses that survive review extortion usually share the same instincts, even though they might not know it.
Firstly, they almost never pay the scammers because they know that paying rarely works. It doesn’t guarantee that the bad reviews will be removed. And it signals to the scammers that the business is a willing target.
Apart from not paying, these businesses also put in the effort to document everything, taking screenshots of conversations and saving review links.
They don’t reply to the reviews from their public profile because this only serves to show the attackers that their tactic is working. By staying silent, business owners buy time and keep the scammers guessing while they prepare a report for Google.
In some tougher cases, where the attacks last for a long time or cause significant financial damages, business owners can bring in expert help. Reputation firms and attorneys who specialize in internet defamation can help organize evidence and escalate cases.
While none of these responses make review extortion feel any less personal, they do give back a sense of control for businesses.
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What Review Extortion Says About Online Trust
Today’s local businesses rely on reviews and ratings to attract customers. Right now, scammers are taking advantage of this dependency.
Google’s new review extortion reporting form shows that this type of scam has become so widespread that it’s no longer just a moderation issue.
It also shows how the review ecosystem is more fragile and easier to influence than previously thought.
This doesn’t mean that businesses should live in fear of review extortion. But they should understand that their online reputation isn’t just a marketing asset. It’s an infrastructure that needs to be monitored and managed actively.
Review extortion likely isn’t going away anytime soon. But business who put in the effort to protect and build their online reputation and start using Google’s tools early will stay ahead.
