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Best Practices

How to Handle Fake Reviews

The world has seen a plethora of technology faults. For example, who thought a person’s information would be stolen through an HVAC system? That is just crazy. Security has to get tighter and smarter to keep data safe. Although, as security gets smarter, so do hackers. Every new technology has some way to penetrate it or get around it. In the small corner of the internet dedicated to reviews, technology hack is still seen and experienced. Businesses will receive reviews from clients they know they absolutely did not service or the feedback given was not even from a live human. When these fake reviews occur, business owners need to know the proper way to handle it.

If you know without a doubt that the review is fake:

Find out how to flag or report it

Review sites have their own terms of service or FAQs that could give you more information on what your next step should be. Many times you are able to flag the review to have it removed or marked as spam.

Don’t bother replying to the review

If you can flag the review for removal, don’t waste your time and energy on replying to the fake review. Throwing the review in the trash is the easiest way and you won’t have to worry about it again!

If you are having trouble detecting if a review is fake see this guide.

If you aren’t entirely sure the review is fake:

Check to see if that exact review appears on another site

A quick copy and paste into a search engine can tell you right off the bat if a bot or a mischievous person is posting this on multiple sites. If you find this to be correct, then definitely report the review!

Calmly respond to the review

Stick to the facts that you know. You don’t have any record of doing business with this person. Be honest and truthful but sincere. The person could easily have clicked on the wrong business to review. (There has definitely been evidence of that happening in the past.) It is also a great idea to ask the reviewer to reach out to you directly if they have any concerns!

One last thing to touch on…

Asking for reviews will ensure the focus is not on any fake reviews. Building your online presence will guide customers to see your business in the proper light! Not sure how to ask? Don’t worry, we have a guide for that too! ?

Still need more? Find guidelines on our blog for replying to positive, negative, and neutral reviews from SureCritic.

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