If we determine that a business owner has violated our Fake Engagement policy, we might place restrictions on their Business Profile (in addition to removing the violative reviews),” Google adds on its support forum.
Per Google, any content "that is not based on a real experience and does not accurately represent the location or product in question" will be deemed fake, as will content posted from one or more accounts to manipulate the ratings or receive incentives.
This comes after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a crackdown on fake online reviews to ban businesses from buying or selling reviews or making employees write them.
Many people use Google Maps to check the reviews and ratings of a nearby restaurant or business. Fake reviews turn the experience into a spammy, useless mess.
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