I have a competitor who suddenly got a large number of 5 star reviews - totally out of the blue.
I looked at the reviews (including some from people labelled as local guides) and was surprised to see that they were obvious fakes - and disappointed that they had not been picked up as such.
Firstly, the locations were all over the place - one guide had a car serviced at one end of the country (UK), ordered a concierge drinks service at the other end of the country, then had a rug cleaned 8000 miles away.
Secondly, the guides that placed the 5 star reviews all seemed to like the same things - they had managed to use and review many of the same services as each other within the last month. What a coincidence - not!!!
This is a ridiculous state of affairs if even Google can’t spot these obvious fakes. If fake reviews can’t be controlled, then it’s better not to have them at all.
@Amazeballs I found some restaurants with reviews on North Sentinel Island, you know the island that has natives who refuse to interact with the outside world lol. I just flagged the reviews and within an hour they were taken down.
What @AlexandreCampbell suggested is correct. In addition to that I can suggest using this form to submit a complaint for fraudulent activity on Google Maps. For further assistance, please contact Google My Business Help Community directly.
By the way participating in the Local Guides program as brand, organization or business and not an individual. This is a violation of our program rules, as it’s important Local Guides contribute content as unbiased individuals.