Draft · unpublished
How to spot fake Google reviews
You want honest notes from people who hired the shop. Some posts are not that. Learn the patterns, then still call and check paperwork.
What Google bans
Reviews must reflect a real experience. Google's Prohibited and restricted content rules block paid reviews, multi-account posting, competitor smear, and incentives to post, change, or remove a review. Merchants may ask for a genuine review. They may not steer the stars or the wording with discounts, free goods, or other favors.
Rating Manipulation covers fake or misleading content meant to inflate or deflate a rating. Incentivized or Biased Reviews covers payment, discounts, free services, or conflicts of interest that bias the post. Google's tips on getting reviews also ban incentives for reviews.
Patterns neighbors notice
The FTC tells you to check recency, watch review bursts, and look at reviewer history. One-review accounts are a yellow flag. Fakes can praise or trash a shop. You will not catch every fake by scanning alone.
BrightLocal's fake-review guide adds practical tells: clusters of similar posts in a short window, vague or over-the-top language, near-duplicate wording across accounts, thin profiles, and details that do not match the services on the profile. If ten glowing posts appear the same week with no job specifics, slow down.
Also compare the claim to the business. A "tree removal" review on a mow-only lawn page is odd. So is a five-paragraph essay that never names a city, a crew, or a date.
What to do when you smell a fake
On Maps, use Google's report tools for policy breaks. Owners can flag violating reviews after they verify the profile; see Manage customer reviews. If you own the shop, reply once with calm facts, then report. Do not stack sockpuppet replies.
As a neighbor hiring help: treat suspicious threads as incomplete evidence. Call two or three shops. Ask for references you can reach. For contractors in Washington, open L&I Verify and confirm registration, bond, and insurance before you pay a large deposit. The FTC's home improvement scam article pairs critical review reading with license checks, written estimates, and pressure-tactic watch-outs.
We do not repost review text
This hub summarizes patterns and links to public policy pages. We do not paste Google review bodies. We do not invent AggregateRating scores. Open the live profile on Maps for the current thread.
Browse and call
Pick a directory, open a city list, and dial a phone:
You call. We list. We do not book jobs or rank shops by stars.