Fake Google Review? Can You Get It Removed?

A one-star review from someone who was never a customer lands the same whether it is a mix-up, a competitor, or an ex-employee settling a score. It sits on your profile next to the genuine ones. It does not go away on its own, and arguing with it in the reply box just gives it a second life. Here is what actually gets a fake review taken down, what does not, and what changed in the law in 2025 that a lot of advice online has not caught up with yet.

Can you get a fake Google review removed?

Yes, but only if it breaks one of Google's own rules for what a review is allowed to be, never simply because it is unfair, harsh, or wrong about the details. A review has to reflect a genuine experience at your actual business. One that does not, because the person was never a customer, works for a competitor, or is rating the wrong branch entirely, qualifies for removal. A review that is accurate but unflattering does not, and reporting it will not change that.

What actually counts as a fake review

Google's own guidance sets out the reasons a report can succeed, and it is a shorter list than most business owners expect: the review is not based on a real visit or transaction, it was posted in exchange for money or a discount, it comes from someone with a conflict of interest such as a competitor or a former employee, it is off topic and has nothing to do with your business, or it contains spam, harassment or profanity. Everything else, including a review that simply reads as unreasonable, sits outside what a report can achieve.

How do you report a fake review, step by step?

Open your Business Profile, go to reviews, and select the flag icon next to the one you want reported. Pick the reason that actually applies, spam and fake content covers most of the cases above, then send it. Dealing with several at once? The Reviews Management Tool lets you report more than one in the same place. Google's own guidance puts the first decision at a few days for most reports, sometimes longer for anything that needs a closer look, and the profile shows the status as it moves: decision pending, or reviewed with no policy violation found.

What if Google says there is no violation?

You get one appeal per report. Use it to name the specific policy the review breaks and attach whatever actually proves it: a booking system with no record of the person, a message thread, anything concrete rather than a restatement of why it feels unfair. An appeal gets escalated for a fresh look, and you get an email with the final answer. There is no second appeal on the same review, so it is worth getting the first one right rather than filing quickly out of frustration.

The law changed in April 2025, and it cuts both ways

Since 6 April 2025, fake reviews have been unlawful under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, not just against Google's own rules. The government's own guidance is direct about what counts: a business pretending to be a customer, paying someone to post a positive review, or commissioning one from a third party are all banned outright, and a business caught doing it risks a fine of up to 10% of global turnover, with the guidance noting it can also be treated as a criminal offence. This does not create a faster lane for getting a fake review removed today, that route is still Google's own reporting tool above, but it does mean a competitor, or anyone else, writing fake reviews about you or about themselves is taking on a real legal risk that did not exist before 2025.

What to do while you wait

Reply once, calmly, and stick to what you can actually state as fact: that you have no record of the visit, or that the review names a service you do not offer. Do not argue the point back and forth in public, and do not post from a second account to counter it, which breaks the same rules you are trying to enforce against the review itself. The reply is what the next person reading actually sees, and a short, factual one does more for you than the outcome of the report ever will. If replies are the part you dread, there is a guide on writing them, AI drafts included.

None of this fixes a profile that is otherwise thin, three reviews and not much else, where one fake one does disproportionate damage just by being visible. If that is closer to the actual problem, start with the profile and the website behind it, have a look at what we have rendered for other trades, then get a private preview from your inbox before anything is owed.

Frequently asked questions

Does it cost anything to report a fake review?

No. Reporting through your Business Profile or the Reviews Management Tool is free, and there is no charge for an appeal either.

Can I report several fake reviews at once?

Yes. The Reviews Management Tool lets you select more than one review to report, and if reports come back rejected you can appeal up to ten of them together rather than one at a time.

Does the 2025 law mean Google has to remove a review I report?

No. It puts a legal duty on platforms to have a proper process for catching fake reviews, and it makes posting one a serious risk for whoever wrote it. It does not guarantee that any single report you file succeeds.

What if the review is genuine but exaggerated or unfair?

Reporting will not help there, because the review does reflect a real visit. A short, factual reply describing what actually happened is the only tool that works on a review like that.