You’ve poured time, energy, and money into building your business — or your professional reputation.
You’ve got happy clients, loyal supporters, and real success behind you.
Then out of nowhere, it hits:
⭐ One Star
❌ “Terrible service. Rude. Scam.”
💬 “Avoid at all costs. This place should be shut down.”
You don’t recognise the person.
You’ve never worked with them.
The review is either fake, defamatory, or completely unfair.
And now it’s ranking on your business listing — visible to everyone.
Here’s the real kicker:
Even one fake review can drop your rating, impact sales, destroy trust, and cost you money every single day.
🧠 Why Fake and Malicious Reviews Are So Common in Australia
Google Reviews are powerful — and open to abuse.
Anyone with a Gmail account can leave a review, even if they:
- Never used your service
- Have a personal grudge
- Are a competitor trying to damage you
- Are part of an online smear campaign
We’ve seen it all — and we’ve helped Aussie business owners, doctors, builders, coaches, and lawyers clean it up fast.
🚨 Real-World Impact of a Fake Google Review
Let’s break it down:
- 📉 Drop in star rating = instant loss of trust
- 🔎 Lower local SEO rankings
- 💸 Lost leads from potential customers checking your reputation
- 😡 Existing clients start second-guessing your integrity
- 🧠 Mental stress from seeing lies stuck to your name
We’ve had clients in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Gold Coast say:
“It’s like a digital hit job.”
“I’ve done nothing wrong, and yet I’m the one losing sleep.”
“This person doesn’t even exist!”
🛠️ So Can You Remove Fake or Defamatory Google Reviews in Australia?
Yes — but only if you know what you’re doing.
Here’s how we do it at Reputation Station:
✅ 1. Investigate the Review and Its Origin
We don’t just react. We analyse:
- The reviewer’s account
- Patterns of abuse (multiple fake reviews?)
- IP trail if available
- Similar language across other review attacks
- Connections to competitors or ex-clients
This helps us build a removal case that actually works.
✅ 2. Submit a Formal Google Review Violation Report
Google allows removals for reviews that are:
- Fake or spam
- Off-topic
- Defamatory or personal
- Conflicts of interest (e.g. competitor smear)
- Harassment, hate speech, or threats
We lodge a report using the precise phrasing and policy categories Google takes seriously. We’ve done this hundreds of times — with results.
✅ 3. Legal Support for Defamatory Reviews
If the review contains:
- False accusations
- Personal attacks
- Naming individuals maliciously
- Implications of criminal behaviour
…we treat it as online defamation.
We can provide legal referral support and assist with:
- Takedown notices
- Defamation letters
- Legal escalation for high-damage cases
Especially useful for:
- Medical professionals
- Legal industry
- High-risk trades and finance
✅ 4. Suppress the Review While the Process Happens
We don’t wait for Google to act. We start building:
- ✅ Positive real reviews from real clients
- 📈 SEO-optimised content to buffer search results
- 🏆 Media stories and bio content to outrank the bad
- 🎯 Optimised business profiles (GMB, Bing Places, Apple Maps) to build credibility
This helps protect your rating while the bad review is being dealt with.
🧑🔧 Case Study: Tradie in Melbourne
Client: Electrician falsely accused of stealing tools from a site.
Review: One star, posted by someone with no real name, no history, and no client record.
We:
- Flagged and removed the review within 4 days
- Had 12 real clients leave positive reviews using review funnel links
- Pushed his average rating from 3.4 to 4.7 in under 2 weeks
- Created three SEO blog posts and a Google Business description to own the front page
👩⚕️ Case Study: GP in Sydney
Client: Female GP falsely reviewed as “unprofessional” and “inappropriate”.
Review caused drop in bookings and anxiety.
We:
- Identified the reviewer as fake
- Submitted a legal-grade report and had the review deleted
- Created a HealthEngine profile to boost positive sentiment
- Featured her in a local article around women’s health initiatives
- Took her Google search from problem-heavy to fully clean in 6 weeks
🛡️ Why Choose Reputation Station?
This isn’t just about clicking “flag as inappropriate” and hoping for the best.
It’s about defending your business, name, and future from reputational attack.
✅ 14+ Years Reputation Management in Australia
✅ Trusted by small businesses, sole traders & high-profile professionals
✅ Fast action + long-term suppression
✅ Confidential and relentless on your behalf
🎯 Let’s Remove the Review — and Protect Your Reputation
That fake or defamatory review doesn’t need to live on your business forever.
📞 Call 1800 622 359
📩 Email info@reputationstation.com.au
🌐 Visit www.reputationstation.com.au
Let us deal with Google, fix your star rating, and restore your online credibility — fast.
