Review Fraud

I had somebody contact me regarding possible fake reviews for 815 Remodeling. It was more than just fake positive reviews. Zack hires subcontractors to perform the remodeling jobs. That is acceptable as long as the customer knows it. One of the subcontractors has a substantial drinking problem. Zack Larson admitted this via text with an …

I was contacted by a friend who advised me that Thomas M. Pronesti’s company Arbitration and FiveStar Reviews site was preventing a client from canceling services. I called Thomas, and I attempted to tell him who I was, but he had none of it. He told me I was not authorized to speak with him …

Gregory Keith Siggins dressed in blackface on Halloween. Gregory decided to echo JD Vance’s comment that Haitians are eating cats and ducks. Trump made headlines when, during the Presidential debate, he misspoke and claimed Haitians were eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio. Keith dressed as a Haitian in blackface and used the following hashtags, …

I received a complaint that Dayton Deck & Fence at 8248 Inwood Ave, Dayton, OH 45415, has engaged in receiving fake Google reviews. I investigated ten of the latest 5-star Google reviews. I am confident that six out of ten reviews are fake. The reviewers left two reviews in total. Each review was posted a …

I was alerted that Blossom’s Soul Food Fusion has had employees, friends, and family leave Google reviews. It appears these reviews were posted to drown out negative reviews highlighting issues with slow service. Here are the reviews that appear to have been posted by employees:Peter Garcia – The person messaging me is claiming they are …

David Franke used his Twitter account, Havinfun412, to make a disparaging comment about women. The exchange was regarding a video clip from Charlie Kirk’s show—the discussion about Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at United Airlines. David’s comment is as follows: “I always look to make sure I have a male pilot. If woman shouldn’t drive, …

I always warn people about going viral for the wrong reasons, and sadly, Jamie James Spray of Spray Home Services in Greenwood, Indiana, is learning the hard way. I am unsure what started the Twitter beef with business owner Kaylan, but it has gotten ugly. He posted a drawing her son made and mocked him …

Ginny Marvin is the Ads Liaison at Google. Several people, myself included, have pointed out the Local Search Ads (LSA) spam to Ginny. Ginny ignores us and refuses to tweet back to anybody. LSA, aka Google Guarantee profiles, have to go through a rigorous vetting process. All employees have to pass a background check. The …

The Benedictine Apartments ran a review contest on Tuesday, July 25th. They stated that the first five residents to post a 5-star Google review would receive a $10 gift card. The contest would end at noon on Friday, July 28th. This contest netted The Benedictine Apartments six 5-star reviews. People posted four reviews on the …