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Small Businesses Face a New Threat: Pay Up or Be Flooded With Bad Reviews

Summary by slashdot.org

Scammers are extorting small businesses worldwide by threatening to flood their Google Maps profiles with fake one-star reviews or demanding payment to remove reviews already posted, according to The New York Times. Fraudsters target service businesses dependent on online ratings -- movers, roofers, contractors -- demanding hundreds of dollars per incident. The Times story documents many cases, including of one Los Angeles contractor Natalia Pip…

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Small Businesses Face a New Threat: Pay Up or Be Flooded With Bad Reviews

Natalia Piper was busy running her general contracting business in Los Angeles when a random message popped up on WhatsApp in June.

1 day ago

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Breaking One broke the news in 1 day ago on Thursday, September 11, 2025.

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