Scammers have targeted a conveyancing firm and posted fake one-star reviews after the founder refused to provide sensitive and personal information.
Rose Davis, founder and Director at Davis & Co Property Lawyers, has warned firms of the scam which sees scammers post fake one-star reviews, and leave scathing comments, after she refused to share her contact telephone number.
Davis said scammers had contacted her after posting the reviews asking for her WhatsApp number. When she refused, they threatened to post more one-star reviews.
One of the reviews from Christhalia Alexandra Kambey Tjakradinata described the service as “not helpful” while another from Callysta Ester Bellvania said “Slow, comes across like careless about deadliness”; a spelling error Davis said she hoped would alert those searching for the firm’s services would recognise as fake.
Expressing her frustrations on LinkedIn, Davis wrote
“I am really proud of our reviews, there is something in them that warms my heart. When a client has taken the time to leave a review, normally a five-star one at that, to confirm that they have been more than pleased with our level of service, it brings a smile to my face.
Of course, our reviews are genuine, and that is why it means so much when we receive them because it means that the clients appreciate that, despite the ride of stress and uncertainty that they have been on with us, they have genuinely enjoyed the journey… my rating is now down to 4.7 and in some ways, the damage has already been done on the Google page in any event. Trustpilot, with my verified reviews, remains at 4.9.”
Google reviews are an ‘open’ platform, meaning anyone with a Google account can post reviews, regardless of whether they have received the services. Platforms like Trustpilot and ESTAS are ‘closed’ platforms, meaning reviewers are only obtained from those who have received the service.
Google have been taken to task the Competition and Markets Authority over their attitude to fake reviews. Earlier this year the CMA identified the search giant not doing enough to detect and remove fake reviews, failing to act on suspicious patterns of behaviour, and failing to property sanction reviewers and businesses who take part in fake review activity. It is notoriously difficult to remove reviews from Google’s platform and in their own advice they say those who report fake reviews should “Be patient. It can take several days to assess a review.”
They add they won’t deal with reviews businesses simply don’t like or disagree with, saying they won’t intervene when there is a dispute over facts or where there is ‘no reliable way to tell who’s right about a particular customer experience.’
Of the two fake reviews posted in recent days, one has been taken down, with one remaining as of Monday evening.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC), which passed into law on 24 May 2024 and replaces the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs), will tackle ‘outrageous fake reviews’ say the CMA.
