Google review extortion scam: what to do if you're hit

A run of one-star reviews lands on your Google Business Profile over a day or two. Then a message arrives offering to make them disappear, for a fee. Google calls this a negative review extortion scam, and it has a separate reporting process for it.

SmartCompany reported on 29 September that a Sydney removalist and a South Australian kitchen renovation business had both been hit. In both cases the exchange with the scammers took place on WhatsApp, and one business was asked for US$200 a review. Neither paid.

How the scam works

Google describes the pattern this way:

A spike in bad reviews. Google says these scams “may involve a sudden increase in 1-star and 2-star reviews on your Google Business Profile”.
A demand. Someone then asks for “money, goods, or services in exchange for removing the negative reviews”.
The contact channel. Google lists emails and chat messages “in WhatsApp, Telegram, and other social media platforms” as places where demands turn up.

The ACCC lists “a spike in highly positive or negative reviews over a short period of time” among the signs that reviews may be fake. Other signs it gives are similar reviewer names and “generic reviews without specific detail”.

What Google says to do

Don’t engage and don’t pay. Google says paying “can encourage further attempts and doesn’t guarantee the removal of reviews”. It also says not to try to resolve it yourself by offering money or services.
Gather evidence straight away. Take screenshots of every demand, showing “the date, time, and the sender’s contact information”. Note direct links to each suspect review, any names, numbers or profiles used by the people making demands, when you first noticed the spike and when the first demand arrived.
Use the extortion form, not the normal report button. Google’s merchant extortion report form asks for your details and relationship to the business, the name, address and link to the affected profile, details of the reviews, and how the scammers contacted you. The form is only for cases where you’ve been directly asked for money or favours to remove reviews.
Expect limited feedback. Google says it investigates and tells you the result, but can’t share details of the investigation.

For fake reviews without a demand, use the standard route in Google’s help: Read reviews, then Report. If Google finds no policy violation, the Reviews Management Tool lets you appeal once. Google says review evaluation “typically takes several days”. Our guide to getting more Google reviews without breaking the rules covers that process.

The numbers

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) publishes figures on disputes with digital platforms generally, not on review extortion or on Google alone.

In the June quarter of 2026, digital platform disputes accounted for 48.3% of the 743 new cases ASBFEO actively managed, making them the most common type. In the same quarter of 2025, they were 12% of 405 cases. Across 2025–26, digital platform disputes rose to 925 from 317 the year before, an increase of 192%.

Where to get help

Google first. ASBFEO says to contact the platform’s own help centre first and note any case number.
Scamwatch. Report the scam at scamwatch.gov.au. Scamwatch says anyone who has been the victim of a cybercrime, including someone who “tried to extort you”, can make a police report through cyber.gov.au.
IDCARE. For a scam or hack, ASBFEO says IDCARE may be able to help.
The Small Business Ombudsman. If you can’t resolve it with the platform, ASBFEO takes digital platform disputes through its online dispute form. In one published case study, a fake negative review was removed within two weeks of ASBFEO contacting the platform.

Our reading: reply calmly to each suspect review while you wait, without accusing named people. The ACCC says businesses can “respond to the review to correct the public record”.

Checklist

Don’t pay or bargain. Google says paying can encourage further attempts and doesn’t guarantee the reviews are removed.
Screenshot every demand. Capture the date, time and sender’s contact details on each WhatsApp, Telegram, email or social media message.
List the suspect reviews. Copy a direct link to each one and note when the spike started and when the first demand arrived.
Lodge Google’s merchant extortion report form. Attach the screenshots and include how the scammers contacted you.
Report it to Scamwatch. Use scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam, and make a police report through cyber.gov.au for attempted extortion.
Escalate to the Small Business Ombudsman if Google doesn’t resolve it. Keep any Google case number or report confirmation for the ASBFEO dispute form.

Download checklist PDF

Sources 10 sources

How the scam works

What Google says to do

The numbers

Where to get help

Checklist

The week in digital, every Friday

Related stories

Apple fixes a flaw used in targeted attacks: update iPhones and Macs still on older software

The Essential Eight for small businesses, in plain English

How to check a supplier invoice before you pay it