Google Maps doubles down on preventing fake reviews

What you need to know

• Google is going after businesses that try to cheat the system with fake five-star reviews.
• In its recent report, Google said it has trained Gemini to detect businesses that try to cheat the system by buying fake five-star reviews.
• Additionally, it is issuing warnings to repeat offenders within the Google Maps app while temporarily disabling reviews for some.

Google seems to be going after businesses and establishments that have fake five-star reviews with the help of Gemini.

In a recent Keyword blog, Google explained how AI was able to track down over 10,000 listings managed by a group of "bad actors who impersonated real locksmiths to take over unclaimed Business Profiles and overcharge unsuspecting customers."

People rely on Google Maps for all sorts of information, from helping with navigation to looking up the best businesses in their area. When you look up a new restaurant you'd want to explore, you'd first check its reviews to see how it compares to the rest and trust that these reviews have been penned down by genuine people who've visited the place.

This is why Google has been after businesses trying to trick customers into visiting their locations with fake five-star reviews from people who have not been to the establishments.

It even seems to have trained a specific Gemini model that will also detect businesses that suddenly change their category. For instance if a cafe turned into a plumbing service, Gemini will identify it as a potentially suspicious profile.

"This new model has already helped us block thousands of suspicious Business Profile edits this year," the company said in the post.

Additionally, Gemini is now able to detect fake reviews on establishments several months after the user posted the original review. The tech giant stated that Gemini can "now revisit reviews more frequently to identify new abuse patterns. "

That said, on the business front, the company is issuing alerts to business profiles in the U.S., U.K., and India when fake engagements or reviews are detected. This will be in the form of a banner alert within the app that states, "Google recently removed suspicious five-star reviews" from their profiles.

Lastly, if certain users are repeat offenders of fake engagement, Google says it will either temporarily disable their ability to post reviews or temporarily hide reviews for that establishment.

Google stated that in 2024, Gemini detected over 240 million policy-violating reviews, 70 million edits to places on Maps, and 12 million fake Business Profiles. These profiles were either blocked or removed, and posting restrictions were placed on over 900,000 accounts for repeated policy violations.