Overseas criminals hijack Google reviews of Middle Tennessee business
Scammers demand payment or threaten to tank business ratings with fake negative reviews
What This Story Is About
- Overseas criminals are targeting Middle Tennessee businesses with an extortion scheme that hijacks Google reviews.
Why It Matters
- Google reviews directly impact a business’s reputation and revenue. For small businesses like wedding photographers, restaurants, and service providers, online reviews can make or break their livelihood.
What Happens Next
- Business owners who experience this extortion can report fake reviews to Google through a specific form linked at the end of this story.
For Context
- According to reviewfraud.org, this extortion scheme is happening to businesses across the country, not just in Middle Tennessee. The criminals are believed to be operating from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
CENTERVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Overseas criminals are hijacking Google reviews of Middle Tennessee businesses, demanding payment or threatening to destroy online reputations with fake negative reviews.
Christina Hix, a Centerville wedding photographer, experienced the extortion scheme firsthand when scammers targeted her business last November.
“I have 187 five-star reviews,” Hix said of her photography business, Trace Creek Manor Photo and Video. “I was like, whoa, what is happening?”
How the scam works
Hix received a text from someone claiming to be a freelancer offering to remove negative reviews for $100 each.
“And I just felt like something was fishy about it,” Hix said. “I didn’t feel comfortable.”
When she refused to pay, the harassment escalated.
“He was blowing up my phone with messages, constant messages, calling me,” Hix said.
Fake reviews flood business page
After Hix declined to pay, one-star reviews suddenly appeared on her Google business page.
“It says, bad experience with Trace Creek Manor Fine Art Wedding Photography. They lost our wedding photos and were unprofessional,” Hix said, reading one of the fake reviews.
“I was like, whoa, what is happening? And there’s like a few reviews that were obviously fake, weird names. And I was like, it has to be this guy,” she said.
The scammer then sent threatening messages: “I CAN’T STOP MY TEAM. THEY ARE GOING TO DO MORE NEGATIVE..I JUST POSTED 3 - BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY MORE THEY WILL DO...YOU DIDN’T PAY ME...IF YOU ARE SMART, I AM TOO.”
Expert calls it extortion
“He for sure hijacked my account,” Hix said. “I said, please remove these reviews. This is my livelihood. This is my family you’re hurting in the long run because it’s my business.”
