Google files lawsuit over fake review scams

Google has filed a lawsuit to dissuade scammers from utilizing Google Maps and Enterprise Profiles to publish pretend companies and faux evaluations. Google said “unhealthy actors posted greater than 350 fraudulent Enterprise Profiles and tried to bolster them with greater than 14,000 pretend evaluations.

The lawsuit. Yow will discover the court document over here that spells out the small print of the lawsuit that Google filed. The defendants listed within the lawsuit are Defendants Ethan QiQi Hu; GMBEye; Rafadigital, LLC (“Rafadigital”); and Does 1– 20.

Google mentioned the aim of the lawsuit is to cease the “advanced and deceptive scheme to deceive shoppers, enterprise homeowners, and Google by unlawfully manipulating Google’s industry-leading enterprise itemizing companies.”

It goes on to learn:

“Over the previous two years, Defendants—led primarily by a single particular person, Ethan Qiqi Hu—have abused Google merchandise to create pretend on-line listings for companies that don’t exist, and to bolster them with pretend evaluations from individuals who don’t exist. Defendants promote these listings, and the inquiries from confused shoppers who’re lured in by them, to people and entities trying to promote their companies on Google platforms. Defendants deceive these small enterprise homeowners too, making unsubstantiated and inconceivable claims about their potential to ensure a good place in Google’s search outcomes and implying preferential therapy or entry with respect to sure Google processes.”

There’s a variety of element, together with screenshots and the alleged strategies utilized by the defendants within the court docket doc.

Google has achieved this earlier than. Prior to now, Google has done a number of issues to try to cease this sort of fraud, together with filing lawsuits. Not just with local, but additionally with web search.

Why we care. Will this lawsuit put concern into these scammers which have but to be sued by Google and encourage them to cease their practices? Will this lawsuit result in much less spam and scams in Google Maps and Google Native? Time will inform however it’s good that Google is taking efforts, past simply eradicating spam and faux profiles, to focus on these spammy efforts.