When 13 one-star reviews appeared on Google within 24 hours, the owner of the construction company knew something was wrong.
HOUSTON — A Houston construction company owner said he was blindsided when his five-star reputation suddenly tanked overnight.
He said it’s all because of a scam.
Abraham Policek is the owner of Dunhill Construction. He said his company has always taken pride in its glowing online reviews.
“In this type of business, your reputation is everything,” Policek said.
So, when 13 one-star reviews appeared on Google within 24 hours, all from people he said he’s never worked with, Policek knew something was wrong.
“We’ve never had a four-star or three-star or two-star review, so getting a one-star review out of the blue was definitely painful and unnerving,” he said.
The fake reviews accused his company of “horrible craftsmanship” and being “unprofessional and unreliable.”
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Then came the message that confirmed his suspicions. A scammer was behind the attack.
“The last review said, ‘In our profile photo is our WhatsApp number. Please reach out to get these reviews removed,’” Policek said.
Policek said he reported the incident to Google. After an investigation, the platform removed the fraudulent reviews.
“I feel relieved, vindicated. Our negative reviews are gone, and we’re back to our five-star rating,” he said.
Google encourages business owners who suspect they’re being targeted by similar scams to report them immediately through the company’s Merchant Extortion Form, which is available online.
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