Fake review attack or review extortion: what to do now
A sudden wave of one-star reviews, then a message asking for money, is a known scam in the Netherlands and Belgium. Do not pay. NetClearer documents the attack and reports the reviews together to Google or the platform concerned, with the pattern as evidence. €20 incl. VAT per review; the case opens the same day.
Published · Updated by Pierre Billard, founder of NetClearer
How these attacks work
The pattern is often the same. Within hours or days, a business receives many one-star reviews from accounts with no history. The texts are short, vague or copied. Then a message arrives by email or chat: pay, and the reviews stop or disappear. Dutch broadcaster NOS reported such cases in 2025 (NOS), and on 2 October 2025 the Flemish broadcaster VRT described a moving company targeted in the same way (VRT NWS).
Other attacks have no ransom note: a former partner, a competitor or an online group targets a business after a dispute or a post that went viral.
Day one: five things to do
- Do not pay and do not negotiate. Paying invites the next demand.
- Keep everything: screenshots of each review with date and author name, the messages, email headers, payment requests.
- Do not answer the reviews in anger. If you reply, one short neutral line is enough: you have no record of this customer and have reported the review.
- Report the blackmail to the police. Extortion is a crime; we handle the online part, not the criminal case.
- Send us the profile link. We list the suspicious reviews and start the reports.
How we report an attack
Reported one by one, fake reviews can look like normal unhappy customers. Reported as a group, the pattern shows. Google’s Maps content policy names rating manipulation and fake engagement as forbidden (Google); Trustpilot’s guidelines require a genuine experience. We describe the timing, the account profiles, the copied phrases and the extortion messages, and attach your evidence that no order or visit matches.
We file through the owner tools, then use the appeal where a review stays. Your case opens the same day you order. Google and the other platforms decide, at their own pace; in a large attack, some reviews often go before others.
What not to do
- Do not buy positive reviews to balance the score. It is banned across the EU since 2022 and platforms can penalise your profile.
- Do not ask friends or staff to post reviews. That is a conflict of interest under every platform’s rules.
- Do not hire anyone who promises removal for a fee paid to the scammer’s contact or who offers to “fix” the score by unclear means.
Courts can order Google to share data about fake reviewers, as Amsterdam courts did in 2016 and 2019. That route needs a lawyer. NetClearer is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
Price
€20 incl. VAT per review, €54 incl. VAT for 3, €149 incl. VAT for 10. For attacks that continue over weeks, a monthly plan adds regular checks. No refund once your request has been filed.
Frequently asked questions
Should I pay the scammer to stop the reviews?
No. Paying does not make sure that anything stops, and it marks your business as one that pays. Keep the messages, report the extortion to the police and have the reviews reported to the platform with the evidence. The messages themselves make your report stronger.
Can I temporarily close my Google profile?
Closing or hiding your profile also hides you from real customers and can cause new problems. It is rarely the best answer. A grouped report with evidence, a neutral reply and a police complaint usually work better. We discuss the options with you on day one.
How fast will the fake reviews disappear?
We cannot promise a delay. We file the same day you order, but Google or the platform decides when and whether to act. The clearest cases are usually the easiest for a platform to decide. We keep reporting and appealing until each review has an answer.
Can the attackers be identified?
Platforms do not give reviewer data to businesses on request. A court can order it, as in the Amsterdam cases, but that needs a lawyer. The police can also ask platforms for data in a criminal case. Our record of the attack helps both.
Reviews of this service
Did you use this service? Share your experience under a pseudonym: your review is published after moderation. Links, email addresses and phone numbers are not accepted.
No review yet for this service.
Related services
Google reviews
Fake or abusive ratings on your Google Business Profile: we report them under Google’s Maps content policy and use the appeal when the first answer is no.
Learn moreReview management
For businesses with several profiles or steady review trouble: regular checks, reports on reviews that break platform rules, and a clear monthly record, within EU consumer law.
Learn moreNetherlands
KvK address copies on Drimble, Infobel and TransFirm, fake reviews on Google, Kiyoh or Zorgkaart, old news and old insolvencies: the Dutch routes we use.
Learn moreBelgium (Flanders)
Dutch-speaking Belgium: old press articles after the Hurbain ruling, fake reviews and review extortion on Google and Kiyoh, and name results on Google.
Learn moreTell us what is happening. We will take it from here.
Free, confidential assessment. Written reply within 24 hours.