On Thursday, September 4th, 2025, at exactly 6:30 AM PST, we were hit with something no business ever wants to see: a flood of fake reviews. Within just 30 minutes, our Google My Business (GMB) profile received exactly 20 one-star reviews.
What raised immediate red flags was that every single review came from accounts labeled as “Local Guides,” yet none of them had any visible review history. Becoming a Local Guide typically involves contributing to Google Maps in various ways, such as uploading photos, answering questions, or editing listings. Since none of these accounts had reviews, the assumption is that their contributions came from less visible actions—but we couldn’t even verify that because every profile was locked. Without following them, we couldn’t see any of their activity. That lack of transparency, paired with the suspicious timing and volume, made one thing clear: this was a coordinated review bombing attack.
We knew immediately these weren’t real clients. As a boutique, service-based agency that has operated since 2017, we know our clients by name. At the time of the attack, we had proudly earned 37 five-star reviews over nearly a decade in business. The idea that 20 unhappy clients would all suddenly appear in half an hour was impossible.
What Is Review Bombing or Review Flooding?
Review flooding, or review bombing, is when a large number of people leave negative reviews for a business, product, or service all at once. In our case, it was a targeted attack on our Google My Business listing. Competitors or malicious actors often orchestrate these campaigns with the intention of harming a company’s credibility, visibility, and customer trust.
The effects were immediate. Our rating dropped from a perfect 5.0 to 3.6 in minutes. For a company like ours—ranked among the top digital marketing, eCommerce development, and SEO agencies in Los Angeles—that drop doesn’t just hurt our pride. It undermines the trust we’ve built over the years with prospective clients who rely on Google reviews as a validation of quality.
How Review Bombing Impacts Businesses
The damage caused by a review bombing attack goes far beyond a number on a rating scale. For service-based businesses, especially those in competitive markets, online reputation is currency. Negative reviews – even if fake – impact how your business appears in local search results, which affects both web traffic and lead generation. In our case, a 1.4-point drop in rating meant potential clients may have skipped over our profile entirely, assuming a recent decline in service quality.
The psychological impact shouldn’t be overlooked either. Internally, it disrupts team morale and causes distraction from core tasks. Externally, it forces you into damage control mode. Instead of focusing on serving clients or executing strategy, you’re spending hours dealing with fake noise. The longer fake reviews linger, the more credibility erodes. Even one-star reviews that seem obviously fake can seed doubt in the minds of prospective customers.
Our Response
Thanks to the diversity of our team across time zones, one of our team members from the Local SEO department noticed the attack even though it was still early morning in Los Angeles. Based on the East Coast, he saw the spike around 9:30 AM EST as his day was just starting.
He quickly verified that these reviews were fake and immediately flagged all 20 using Google’s Review Management Tool. After that, he took the time to respond to every single review with a professional, customized message. It’s worth noting: each response was unique to avoid triggering Google’s spam filters for templated replies.
Here are a few examples of the responses we used:
- “This review does not match any record of a customer we’ve served. We believe this may be part of a spam attack and have reported it to Google for removal.”
- “We have no record of this individual as a customer. This appears to be part of a spam attack, and we’ve reported it to Google.”
- “This feedback doesn’t align with any service we’ve provided. We suspect it is spam and have submitted it to Google for review.”
He didn’t stop there. Recognizing that the standard review flagging process could take several business days, he drafted a detailed escalation email, looped in management, and reached out to our dedicated Google Ads representative. While GMB reviews are technically outside the scope of Google Ads support, reps do have internal pathways to escalate issues directly to the appropriate teams.
One complication? Google’s Review Management Tool doesn’t generate a support case when reviews are flagged. So we created a separate case manually via Google Business Profile support, obtained the case ID, and passed that along to our Ads rep for internal escalation. This allowed us to present the issue as a coordinated attack, not 20 unrelated complaints, increasing the chances of a fast and unified resolution.
The Result
In less than 24 hours, we received 20 emails—one for each fake review—confirming their removal. The GMB team had reviewed and agreed with our assessment.
The moment those emails hit our inbox was a relief, but also a validation of the work we had put in behind the scenes. Our rating was restored, and the integrity of our profile protected. More importantly, we showed our team and clients that we practice what we preach: strategic, timely, and professional digital brand management.
Below is one of these emails to show what a successful resolution looks like, so others know what to expect.
How to Protect Your Business from Review Bombing
Monitor Reviews Proactively
Don’t wait for an alert from a team member or customer. Set up Google notifications or use a review monitoring platform that alerts you the moment something changes on your GMB profile. Awareness is your first line of defense.
Respond Professionally and in a Timely Manner
Even if a review is clearly fake, respond as if others are watching—because they are. Use a calm, professional tone and don’t get emotional. Your response isn’t for the spammer, it’s for the real potential customers reading it.
Report Fake Reviews
Use Google’s Review Management Tool to flag suspicious reviews. Provide evidence where possible. Be specific, concise, and clear. Don’t just report—escalate. If you have a Google Ads rep or GMB contact, involve them.
Ask Real Customers to Leave Reviews
A steady stream of genuine feedback makes your profile resilient. Encourage happy clients to leave honest reviews after milestones or project completions. The stronger your positive review history, the harder it is for a spam attack to do lasting damage.
Work With a Trusted Digital Marketing Agency
Having an experienced team that understands both the technical and reputational aspects of review management is key. At Canesta, we help businesses build strong, defensible brands online through local SEO, reputation management, and strategic digital marketing.
Take Legal Action (If Applicable)
If you can identify who’s behind a coordinated attack and have evidence, consult legal counsel. In some cases, a cease and desist letter or formal complaint may be necessary.
Conclusion
This wasn’t just a story about spam reviews. It was a real-world test of our resilience, our systems, and our team. We passed that test not because we specialize in removing reviews, we don’t offer that as a standalone service, but because we operate as a true extension of our clients’ leadership teams.
What happened to us can happen to any business. What matters is how quickly and strategically you respond. At Canesta, we help brands navigate both the exciting and the unpredictable parts of digital growth. From reputation management to local SEO, paid media, and conversion optimization, we’re the partner you call when you need not just marketers, but marketers who lead.
If your business needs that level of guidance, clarity, and execution, let’s talk.
