Buying negative reviews for competitors: is it illegal?
Don't. Fake negative reviews on a competitor break Google's policy, and Google says it removes them and now pauses reviews when a profile is hit by a spike of spam. They can also be traced back to you — courts have ordered platforms to identify the people behind them — and depending on where you are they can mean a defamation or unfair-competition claim, regulator fines, or a criminal case. The way to beat a competitor's rating is more genuine reviews of your own.
Sources checked 29 October 2026. Written by Firstcliq, which sells automatic review replies — so every claim about Google links to Google or to the article it comes from.
Why people search for this
A competitor opens next door, undercuts your prices or simply has a better rating, and it is tempting to drag their stars down. There are sellers who offer exactly that: a batch of 1★ reviews on someone else's Google listing. This guide explains what actually happens if you buy them or post them yourself — on Google, in court, and with regulators — and what to do instead.
What Google's policy says
Google's content policy for Maps says contributions must reflect a genuine experience, and that fake engagement is not allowed and will be removed. It names, among other things:
- Content posted on a competitor's listing to undermine its reputation.
- Content based on a conflict of interest — Google gives industry competitors as an example.
- Content that is not based on a real experience at the place.
- Reviews or ratings that were paid for, directly or in kind.
- Content posted from multiple accounts by, or at the request of, one person.
In other words, the exact thing a negative-review seller offers is named in the policy. Google says violating content is removed and that accounts which break the rules can be suspended.
Source: Google — Maps user-contributed content policy
Google is actively looking for review attacks
Google says that in 2025 Maps blocked or removed over 292 million policy-violating reviews and removed over 13 million fake Business Profiles. In April 2026 it announced that when a profile receives a sudden surge of spam reviews, it will remove the fake content, pause new reviews on the profile, alert the owner and show customers a banner explaining the pause. It also says its systems now catch attempts to demand payment for removing fake 1★ reviews.
So a paid wave of 1★ reviews is the pattern Google is built to spot. The likely result is that the reviews disappear, your competitor's profile is protected — and the accounts that posted them are flagged.
Sources: Google Keyword blog — New ways we're protecting businesses on Maps, 16 April 2026 · Google Business Profile Help — Report negative review extortion scams
Fake reviews can be traced back to you
People who buy fake reviews usually assume they are anonymous. Two US cases show why that is a poor bet:
- Fireworks Restoration v. Hosto (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2012). A former business partner posted three fake negative reviews about a competing restoration company on Google and Yahoo, posing as customers. Yahoo disclosed information that identified him, a jury found him liable for defamation and awarded $1 in compensatory and $150,000 in punitive damages, and the appeals court upheld the verdict.
- Amaro v. DeMichael (Ohio Fifth District Court of Appeals, 2024). A Houston law firm says 99 fake 3★ Google reviews pulled down its 5★ rating. Responding to a subpoena, Google told the court that all of them came from an IP address tied to the defendants' home. The appeals court revived the firm's defamation claims over 62 of the reviews, along with trade libel and tortious interference claims.
Note what the second case also says: reviews with no text, or with purely subjective comments, were treated as opinion and not defamatory — but reviews with specific, checkable statements such as “never called me back” were allowed to go forward. Fake reviews almost always make specific claims, because that is what makes them believable.
Sources: Technology & Marketing Law Blog — Fireworks Restoration v. Hosto (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2012) · ABA Journal — Law firm can sue over alleged fake online reviews, September 2024
The legal risk, country by country
United States. Beyond defamation and trade libel claims from the competitor, the Federal Trade Commission's rule on consumer reviews took effect on 21 October 2024. It bars businesses from writing, creating, selling or buying consumer reviews that misrepresent whether the reviewer exists, whether they used the product or business, or what their experience was. The FTC says the practices it covers were already unlawful under Section 5 of the FTC Act, and it can seek civil penalties against knowing violators.
Sources: US Federal Trade Commission — Final rule banning fake reviews, 14 August 2024 · 16 CFR § 465.2 — Fake or false consumer reviews (Cornell LII) · Federal Register, 22 August 2024 — Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials
United Kingdom. Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans submitting a fake consumer review, or commissioning someone else to write or submit one. A consumer review includes a review of a trader, and fake reviews are prohibited whether they are positive or negative. The Competition and Markets Authority can impose fines of up to 10% of annual global turnover.
Source: CMS — No more faux five-stars: the DMCC Act bans fake reviews, April 2025
United Arab Emirates. Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on combatting rumours and cybercrimes has applied since 2 January 2022. Article 43 makes it an offence to use an information network or IT system to insult someone or attribute to them something that could expose them to punishment or contempt, with imprisonment and/or a fine of AED 250,000 to AED 500,000. A fake review accusing a competitor of poor hygiene, fraud or rudeness is exactly that kind of statement.
Sources: UAE Government portal (u.ae) — Law on combatting rumours and cybercrimes · Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021, English text (published by ADGM)
Saudi Arabia. Article 3 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law (Royal Decree M/17, 2007) covers “defamation and infliction of damage upon others through the use of various information technology devices”, with imprisonment of up to one year and a fine of up to SAR 500,000, or either.
Source: Saudi Arabia — Anti-Cyber Crime Law, Royal Decree M/17 of 2007, English text (WIPO Lex)
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws differ by country and change; speak to a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction.
“But I'd use a service, not post them myself”
Paying someone else doesn't move the risk off you. Google's policy covers content posted at the request of one person, the UK rules ban commissioning a fake review, and the FTC rule covers businesses that buy fake reviews. In practice, a fake-review seller is also the one party who knows exactly who paid — and the payment trail is evidence.
Sources: Google — Maps user-contributed content policy · CMS — No more faux five-stars: the DMCC Act bans fake reviews, April 2025 · 16 CFR § 465.2 — Fake or false consumer reviews (Cornell LII)
If a competitor is doing this to you
Report each review to Google under the policy it breaks, keep screenshots and dates, and reply once, calmly, without accusing anyone by name. If someone demands money to stop the reviews, don't pay — report it through Google's extortion form. The full process is in how to spot and report fake Google reviews.
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Report negative review extortion scams
What actually beats a competitor's rating
- More genuine reviews of your own. Ask every customer, with a link or QR code — Google allows that and suggests it. Make a free review QR code page.
- Reply to every review. Customers read replies, and a business that answers looks like one that cares.
- Watch the gap, not the competitor's reviews. Track how your rating and review count compare with the businesses you compete with, month by month.
- Know how many reviews you need. The Google review calculator shows how many new 5★ reviews it takes to move your rating.
And don't swing the other way by buying positive reviews for yourself — that breaks the same policy and the same laws. See what happens when you buy Google reviews.
Where Firstcliq fits
Firstcliq is built for the legitimate version of this race. It replies to your reviews in your tone, with you or your team able to see and edit every reply, holds 1–2★ reviews for your approval, and lets you compare your rating and review count with the competitors you choose to track.
See how Firstcliq works for local businesses →
Questions
Is it illegal to leave fake negative reviews on a competitor?
It breaks Google's policy everywhere, and in many countries it can also be a legal wrong — defamation, trade libel or unfair competition — or a criminal offence. In the UAE, using an information network to insult someone or attribute to them something that exposes them to contempt carries a fine of AED 250,000 to AED 500,000 and/or imprisonment. In the UK, submitting or commissioning a fake review is a banned practice the CMA can fine. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can I buy negative reviews for a competitor's Google listing?
You can find people selling them, but buying them breaks Google's policy, which bans content posted on a competitor's listing to undermine its reputation and reviews based on a conflict of interest with competitors. In the US, the FTC's rule bars businesses from buying consumer reviews that misrepresent whether the reviewer exists or had a real experience; in the UK, commissioning a fake review is banned whether it is positive or negative.
Can a competitor find out who posted the fake reviews?
Often, yes. In the Fireworks Restoration case, Yahoo disclosed information that identified the person behind fake competitor reviews. In Amaro v. DeMichael, Google told the court in response to a subpoena that the negative reviews came from an IP address tied to the defendants' home. Using several accounts or a paid service does not make you anonymous to a court.
What if the reviews are only 1 or 2 stars with no text?
They still break Google's policy if they aren't based on a real experience. On the legal side, an Ohio appeals court in Amaro v. DeMichael found that star-only reviews and purely subjective comments were opinion and not defamatory — but let claims over reviews with specific, checkable statements such as "never called me back" go ahead, together with trade libel and tortious interference claims.
Will Google penalise my own business if I post reviews on a competitor?
Google's policy says violating content is removed and that it can suspend accounts that break the rules. If a competitor or Google connects the reviews to you, the bigger risk is usually legal: a defamation or unfair-competition claim, and in some countries a criminal complaint.
A competitor is posting fake reviews on my listing. What do I do?
Report each review to Google under the policy it breaks, keep evidence, reply calmly without accusing anyone, and speak to a lawyer if the reviews are specific, false and damaging. If someone demands money to stop the reviews, don't pay — report it through Google's extortion form.
What is the legal way to beat a competitor's ratings?
Get more genuine reviews of your own business by asking every customer, reply to every review, and watch how your rating and review count compare with competitors over time. That is allowed, it compounds, and nobody can sue you for it.
Sources
- Google — Maps user-contributed content policy
- Google Keyword blog — New ways we're protecting businesses on Maps, 16 April 2026
- Google Business Profile Help — Report negative review extortion scams
- US Federal Trade Commission — Final rule banning fake reviews, 14 August 2024
- 16 CFR § 465.2 — Fake or false consumer reviews (Cornell LII)
- Federal Register, 22 August 2024 — Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials
- Technology & Marketing Law Blog — Fireworks Restoration v. Hosto (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2012)
- ABA Journal — Law firm can sue over alleged fake online reviews, September 2024
- CMS — No more faux five-stars: the DMCC Act bans fake reviews, April 2025
- UAE Government portal (u.ae) — Law on combatting rumours and cybercrimes
- Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021, English text (published by ADGM)
- Saudi Arabia — Anti-Cyber Crime Law, Royal Decree M/17 of 2007, English text (WIPO Lex)
More guides
- Does Google allow AI replies to reviews?Yes — Google's guidance does not prohibit them, and Google has been testing its own AI reply button. What it checks is what a reply says.
- How to reply to a negative Google reviewReply promptly, address the reviewer and their specific complaint, own what went wrong without taking blame for what didn't, and never share private details.
- Does replying to Google reviews help your ranking?Google does not list replies as a ranking factor. It says review count and ratings help prominence — and that replies help you stand out.
- How to spot and report fake Google reviewsReport it to Google from your Business Profile or the Reviews Management Tool, reply calmly in the meantime, and never buy reviews of your own.
- How Google star ratings are calculatedGoogle says your score is the average of all published ratings. The more reviews you have, the less any single review moves it.
- What is local SEO, and how is it different?Local SEO is getting found by nearby customers on Google Maps and local results. Google ranks those on relevance, distance and prominence.
- How automatic Google review replies save you timeAutomate the routine replies, keep a person on the 1–2★ ones, and add a delay so replies read like a manager who saw the review.
- Buying Google reviews: what happens when Google catches itDon't. Google removes paid reviews, can block new reviews on your profile and warn customers that fake reviews were removed, and in the US and UK buying them breaks the law.
- How local SEO works: the complete step-by-step guideGoogle ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence, then the searcher picks one by what your profile shows. This guide covers each lever in order — profile, consistency, reviews, website, posts, tracking — with a 90-day checklist.