Scammers flood small business Google reviews, demand payment to delete them
Scammers are flooding Australian small business Google profiles with fake one-star reviews and demanding payment to remove them.
Removalist Gina Tsigaris saw six one-star reviews appear on her Sydney business profile in two days, then received a WhatsApp demand for payment to delete them. Gina Tsigaris' conversion rate from incoming leads fell about 25%.
Lonsdale Kitchens received 24 to 25 fake reviews and was asked to pay US$200 per review to have them removed. Complaints about digital platform disputes to the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman jumped from 12% in June 2025 to 48.3% in June 2026.
Small businesses reported the fake reviews to Google, but some real reviews were also removed in the process.
- US$200 per review
- Extortion price
- 25 percent at Move It with Gina
- Lead conversion drop
Why it mattersFake reviews hurt a business's reputation and stop customers buying. Most shoppers trust online ratings when choosing where to spend their money.
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