Understanding Google My Business & Local Search
Search Results For "review fraud"
Fake Reviews? Negative Reputation Mgt? Google Once Again Caught Flat Footed in the Review Space
There was an interesting article on CBC Canada this past week and it encapsulates the range of problems that Google has not yet confronted in the review space- including but not limited to buying reviews, negative SEO reviews, review pile ons etc etc etc.: Kensington Market restaurant inundated with hundreds of 5-star reviews accused of buying …
Who’s Really Behind Fake Online Reviews?
Reviews, reviews and more reviews. Jason Brown of ReviewFraud participated in an interesting investigative news report on fake reviews. He wrote about it on his blog: Bulletproof Digital busted selling Fake reviews to NBCLA. Here is NBC Southern California report: Who’s Really Behind Fake Online Reviews? Jason also covered an interesting story in the review space …
WXYZ Detroit covers fake online reviews of local businesses at Google
With help of Jason Brown, a fake review critic, I was invited to speak with WXYZ reporters while in Detroit last month on the issue of fake reviews and their impact.
The Largest Review Spam Network Ever Or… Who is Shazedur Rahman and why should you care?
The title, The Largest Review Spam Network Ever, might seem like hyperbole. While I don’t yet know the network’s full size, it is responsible for tens if not hundreds of thousands of fake reviews. If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other post0. Now onto the …
NY Attorney General Comes Down on Review Abuses – Again
Today, NY attorney General Schneiderman announced a settlement with four companies in regards posting fraudulent content in the form of reviews and pay for play testimonials. Penalties ranged from $20,000 to $50,000 and included both NY and Californian companies. Schneiderman has led the states in enforcement in this area having previously settled similar review abuse cases in the …
NY State AG Brings Down the Hammer on Fake Reviews (Again)
The NY Times is reporting that the NY State Attorney General will be announcing a crackdown today against 19 NY based companies, both SMBs and “reputation management” firms, for posting fake reviews online. The companies will pay fines totaling $350,000 and agree to cease to the practice. “Among those signing the agreements are a charter …
Reviews And Lawsuits – Is There a Better Way?
Yelp received a lot of attention in the online world last week for suing a bankruptcy lawyer (who had previously sued them and won) for leaving fake reviews. Suing a single practitioner may have some value in terms of the publicity and alerting businesses to the risks of creating fake reviews. But given the scale of …
Plastic Surgery Co. Settles with NYS over False Reviews
In an agreement yesterday that portends significant change in local search marketing, New York State Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo secured a $300,000 settlement with Lifestyle Lift, a cosmetic surgery company that “flooded the internet with false positive reviews”. The press release claims that this is believed to be the first case in the nation against …
Google Maps being used for Philly fraud update
Updated 12/23/07 Google has yet to remove this Mapspam. I have included additional spam details at the end of this post. Does anyone know the economics of having this many phone numbers? When searching on Philadelphia PA 19125 Locksmith but I found this response of intense interest: The reviewer Jack, has been busy tracking these …
29 Prime, SubPrime, Bankrupt
As many of you know 29 Prime has not been a favorite Local SEO of mine. They lied, dissembled, prevaricated and misled thousands of small business folks. They have now gone into Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. I was alerted to their bankruptcy by Regina Martinez, with whom I had been corresponding over the past year about how …
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