You wanted to get Google reviews quickly, so you paid for a package. Forty five-star reviews arrived in a week, and none of them came from anyone you recognise.
If you buy fake reviews, Google can remove them, restrict your Business Profile and put a public warning on it. In Australia, you’re also exposed under consumer law. The seller keeps the money either way, and all of the risk sits with your business.
At BuyReviews we only work with real customers, and we often hear from owners after a fake package has gone wrong. Below is what tends to happen, in the order it happens, and how to recover.
What happens right after you buy Google reviews?
At first, the reviews show up and your star rating jumps. It can look like the plan worked.
Then Google’s systems catch up. Google uses automated spam detection to remove reviews it thinks are fake, so some or all of the reviews you paid for can vanish without notice. You don’t get a refund from Google, and you probably won’t get one from the seller.
In our experience, this is the best outcome you can hope for. The reviews disappear and nothing else happens. The worse outcomes come next.
What penalties can Google put on your Business Profile?
Google’s fake engagement policy lists three restrictions it can apply on top of removing the reviews. It can stop your profile from receiving new reviews for a set period. It can unpublish your existing reviews for a set period, including the real ones. And it can display a warning telling customers that fake reviews were removed.
Google says it emails the business owner before a restriction starts. It doesn’t publish how long a restriction lasts, but one notice shared publicly in 2026 showed a two-month block on new and past reviews for a repeat violation.
We think the warning is the worst of the three. A profile with no reviews looks new. A profile with a fake review warning looks dishonest, and that’s the first thing a customer sees.
Can you get in legal trouble in Australia?
Yes. The ACCC says fake online reviews breach the Australian Consumer Law, and that covers reviews you arranged for someone else to post.
The maximum penalties are high: up to $50 million or more for a company and $2.5 million for an individual. Courts set the real figure to fit the conduct, so a small business won’t see numbers like that.
There is a real example, though. Two solar businesses trading as Euro Solar and Australian Solar Panel were ordered to pay $125,000 for fake testimonials and false origin claims, and their director paid a further $20,000 himself.
Do customers notice bought reviews?
More often than sellers admit. Bought reviews tend to arrive in a burst, say nothing specific about the job, and come from people with no link to your area.
The ACCC has pointed to a sudden spike of reviews in a short time as one telltale sign of fakes. Competitors look for the same thing. In the Euro Solar case, it was rival businesses that reported the conduct.
A local customer reading your profile wants to see a name they might know and a job like theirs. Ten real reviews that mention your staff by name do more for you than forty that say “great service”.
What should you do if you’ve already bought reviews?
Act before Google does. These are the steps we’d take, in this order.
- Cancel the order and any ongoing subscription with the seller today.
- Open your Business Profile and select Read reviews.
- Next to each fake review, select the three dots, then Report review.
- Check the status of each report in Google’s Reviews Management Tool.
- If Google emails you about a restriction, read it carefully. You can appeal, and Google will look at your profile again along with any context you give.
- Start asking real customers for reviews this week.
Reporting your own profile feels strange, but it’s the cleanest way to remove fake Google reviews before they cause a restriction. Don’t appeal a restriction unless you believe Google made a mistake.
How do you get more Google reviews without the risk?
Ask the people you’ve served. It’s slower than a package, and the reviews stay.
- On a computer, sign in to the Google account that manages your Business Profile and search your business name.
- Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, then Copy. Google creates the link itself, so you don’t need a paid Google review link generator.
- Ask each customer on the day you finish their job.
- Send the link in a short text or a simple review request email template: a thank you, one line asking for an honest review, and the link.
- Don’t offer a discount or gift. Google counts any reward as fake engagement.
- Reply to every review within a day or two.
Step 6 includes the bad ones. When you respond to negative Google reviews, keep it brief, apologise if you got something wrong, and give a phone number so you can fix it. Google itself says a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy.
How does BuyReviews do it differently?
We don’t sell reviews by the number. You send us your customer list, we contact those customers with your review link and a reminder, and they write whatever they honestly think.
That’s the only way we help clients get Google reviews, because it’s the only way that survives a check by Google or the ACCC. Good online reputation management in Australia should Buy Google reviews Australia over months, with nothing on the profile you’d need to explain later.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if you buy Google reviews?
Google can remove the reviews and restrict your Business Profile. That can mean no new reviews for a set period, your existing reviews hidden, and a public warning about fake reviews. In Australia, fake reviews can also breach the Australian Consumer Law. The seller faces none of this. Your business does.
How long does a Google review restriction last?
Google doesn’t publish a fixed length. Its policy only says restrictions apply for a set period of time. One restriction notice shared publicly in 2026 showed a two-month block on new and past reviews for a repeat violation, so plan for months, not days, and longer if it happens a second time.
Will Google hide my real reviews as well?
It can. One of Google’s listed restrictions is unpublishing a profile’s existing reviews for a set period, and that covers every review, including the honest ones. Google also admits its spam detection sometimes removes legitimate reviews by mistake. Fake reviews put the real ones you’ve earned at risk too.
Can I appeal a Google review restriction?
Yes. Google emails the business owner before applying a restriction and gives you a way to appeal. Google then looks at the profile again, along with any extra context you provide, and tells you the outcome. Appeal if you believe Google got it wrong. If the reviews were bought, an appeal is unlikely to help.
How do I recover after buying fake reviews?
Stop the order first. Report the fake reviews from your Business Profile using Read reviews, the three dots, then Report review. Then ask every real customer for an honest review on the day you finish their job. Steady, real reviews over the next few months are what bring a profile back.
