Fined Over Fake Reviews

If your SEO company is actively promoting your brand with fake reviews, the New York Attorney’s General Office would like a word with you.

19 companies have officially agreed to stop publishing fake online reviews, and will pay penalties ranging from $2,500 to $100,000 as part of a settlement with the AG’s office.

The companies were caught red-handed writing and posting fake reviews for multiple small businesses. The Attorney General office posed as a local yogurt shop and contacted SEO companies to help them combat negative reviews.

In the year-long investigation, it was revealed that the SEO companies were using advanced IP spoofing techniques to hide their identities and in some cases had set up hundreds of bogus profiles on consumer review websites to post the reviews.