How to remove fake Google reviews: report, appeal, and what to do while you wait

Why do fake Google reviews need removing?

A restaurant, tour or stay lives on its rating, and a burst of fake one-star reviews can pull it down in a day. Google says its systems and analysts blocked or removed over 292 million policy-violating reviews in 2025 and put posting restrictions on more than 782,000 accounts. The ones that get through are yours to report, and Google acts on a report that names the policy the review breaks. What Google lets you do to collect reviews in the first place is in our guide to the Google review policy.

How do you remove a fake Google review?

1. 1. Find the rule it breaks

   Google's policy removes reviews not based on a real experience, reviews paid for in money or in kind, reviews posted from several accounts by one person, posts on a competitor's listing meant to hurt it, and reviews from a conflict of interest such as a former employee. Someone you have no record of may still be a real guest who paid cash, so look for evidence: the same wording on other profiles, a reviewer who has never been near your area, or several reviews posted within minutes.¹

2. 2. Report it from your Business Profile

   Open your Business Profile, select Read reviews, choose Report next to the review, pick the reason, such as spam or conflict of interest, and send the report. Google says it doesn't get involved in disputes between businesses and customers, so report the policy breach and leave the disagreement out.²

3. 3. Report the reviewer's profile if it posted several

   When one account is behind several fake reviews, report the account as well. In the Google Maps app, tap Business, then Reviews, tap the reviewer's name, then More and Report, and pick the reason.²

4. 4. Follow the report in the Reviews Management Tool

   Google says evaluating a report typically takes several days. The Reviews Management Tool shows each report as decision pending, reviewed with no policy violation, or escalated, in which case the final decision comes by email.²

5. 5. Appeal once if Google finds no violation

   In the same tool, choose to check the status of earlier reports, then Appeal eligible reviews; you can select up to 10 and fill in one form. Add what Google can't see for itself, such as no booking, order or payment under that name on that date. If the review breaks a policy it is removed; if not, it stays live.²

6. 6. Treat a demand for money as extortion

   Google describes the scam as a sudden increase in 1-star and 2-star reviews followed by someone demanding money, goods or services to remove them. Don't reply and don't pay. Screenshot every message with its date, time and sender, copy the link to each review, and send it all on Google's merchant extortion report form.³

7. 7. Use the legal route only for unlawful content

   A review you believe breaks the law, such as a defamatory one, goes to Google's Report Content for Legal Reasons form, with the exact link to each review and why it is unlawful. Google asks you to flag the content in the product first, so report it from your profile before you take this route.⁵

8. 8. Reply calmly while Google decides

   A fake review can stay up for days while it is checked. A short, polite reply tells other guests you have no record of the visit and invites the writer to contact you, without accusing anyone. Our free review reply generator drafts one, and our guide to responding to Google reviews has more on tone.

9. 9. Never bury fakes with reviews of your own

   Asking staff, family or friends for reviews to push the fake ones down breaks Google's policy on conflicts of interest. If Google finds fake engagement on a profile it removes those reviews and can stop new ones for a set time, unpublish existing ones for a set time, or show guests a warning that fake reviews were removed.⁴

Checklist

• Policy reason found for each review
• Each fake reported from the Business Profile
• Reviewer's account reported if it posted several
• Reports followed in the Reviews Management Tool
• One-time appeal filed with evidence
• Extortion messages screenshotted and sent on Google's form
• Calm reply posted under each fake
• No reviews from staff, family or friends

Written by Joseph Jang, Co-founder, PlacePilot