New Google Lawsuit To Curb Fake Business Reviews
Alphabet's Google on Friday sued a Los Angeles man and his companies in San Jose, California federal court against hundreds of fake business listings on its platforms and selling them to real businesses attracting unsuspecting customers.
In an official statement, the search engine company said that it filed a lawsuit against Ethan QiQi Hu to end the malicious schemes. Fake reviews are a recurring problem on internet commerce sites, the company added.
Hu has not immediately responded or commented on the matter.
Google's lawsuit highlighted, Hu’s sham businesses appear in Google search engine and Google Maps, using an "elaborate set of props" verifying on video calls with the tech giant's agents.
The lawsuit said Hu has verified fraudulent listings for garage repair, plumbing, tree cutting and essential oils verifying fake aromatherapy and reiki businesses. The accused used a tool bench for verifications.
Google said Hu’s fraud includes buying thousands of fake positive reviews for businesses' legitimate appearance. He allegedly sold the profiles as "leads", allowing fake commerce to achieve potential customers.
The tech major stressed that Hu has successfully created more than 350 fake profiles that bolstered over 14,000 illegitimate reviews. Furthermore, the lawsuit accused Hu of false advertising, unlawful business practices and for violating Google's terms of service.
Google under the case “Google LLC v. Hu, US District Court of the Northern District of California, No. 5:23-cv-02964, asked the court for an unspecified amount of money damages and an order to block Hu's alleged misconduct.
