Fake negative online reviews damages small Austin business
The Brief
A small Austin business owner said fake online reviews are hurting his business and reputation
An expert spoke out about how to address the fake reviews online
7 On Your Side reached out to Google on the matter
AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin small business owner says he has taken a major financial hit thanks to fake online reviews that he says have damaged his reputation.
It's a problem that experts say is on the rise.
Fake reviews damage Austin small business
Local perspective
Kobi Elisha has been in the locksmith business for more than 10 years.
"I do all the business correctly. I give very good customer service to people," said Elisha.
That good service, he says, would translate to positive online reviews, until about a year and a half ago.
"Five stars on Google and I started to go down, and down, and down," said Elisha.
Elisha, who is from Israel, says he noticed an uptick in negative reviews after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
"One day I woke up in the morning and I got one after one, one after one," said Elisha.
One-star reviews came in by the dozens on his Google Guaranteed page, a platform which features only verified businesses.
And they haven't stopped. Some in just the past few weeks include:
"First and last time for me at this professional. Run away quick quick quick."
"Company not very serious and which cares little about the result.
"Incompetent. Avoid at all cost."
"I would not recommend this company to my worst enemy."
Expert weighs in
Local perspective
"I'm scrolling down and scrolling down and it's all within two weeks and that's just not realistic that a business had this many bad reviews in two weeks," said Devin Benavides of the Better Business Bureau Serving the Heart of Texas.
Benavides says these reviews are clearly fake.
"Definitely this is a scammer or even worse, maybe the competition is just trying to make them look bad," said Benavides.
She recommends business owners being targeted by fake reviews address them online, but do it calmly.
"Maybe don't go through every single one and say 'this is fake, this is a fake'. Maybe just make a blanket statement on there and say, 'we're aware of these fake reviews'," said Benavides.
It's also a good idea to frequently check reviews, use the platform's official reporting tools to report fake ones, and document evidence of them.
What's next
Elisha says he's reached out to Google several times to try to get the fake reviews taken down, but he's gotten the runaround.
"Anytime I call Google, they tell me to send an email. I send them an email, and [they say] you need to wait like two weeks. I wait two weeks," said Elisha.
In the meantime, she says the phony bad reviews, now in the hundreds, have hurt his business, and his reputation.
"My real customers see all the negative reviews," said Elisha.
The BBB says that's why customers should learn how to spot fake reviews, by looking for red flags, like vague language, many reviews within a short amount of time, and profiles with no picture or generic-sounding names.
"I would just say, yes, look at the reviews, but don't make that your gospel," said Benavides. "You know, do some additional research."
You can find reviews of accredited businesses on the Better Business Bureau's website. For more on how to spot a fake review, click here.
7 On Your Side reached out to Google about Kobi Elisha's situation, but has not heard back.
The Source
Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's John Krinjak
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