A friend who runs a cafe tells you everyone buys a few reviews to get started, and nobody’s ever been fined for it.
Before you follow that advice to get 5 Star Google Reviews, check it. In Australia, buying fake reviews is against the law. The ACCC says a business must not create fake or misleading reviews, or arrange for others to. Businesses have been penalised, with outcomes ranging from a $6,600 notice to millions of dollars. Asking real customers is legal, and so is paying someone to do the asking.
At BuyReviews we stay on the legal side of that line. This is general information in plain English, not legal advice.
Is buying Google reviews illegal?
Yes, when the reviews are fake. A review from someone who never used your business gives customers a false picture, and misleading customers is what the law prohibits.
Your friend is wrong about the fines as well. The ACCC has taken action over reviews and testimonials several times, and its website lists the cases.
What law applies?
The Australian Consumer Law, which the ACCC enforces. It applies to every business, including sole traders.
Two sections do the work. Section 18 bans conduct that’s misleading or deceptive, even if you didn’t intend it. Section 29 bans false or misleading statements about goods and services, and it covers testimonials.
The ACCC puts it simply. Reviews should be independent and reflect the real opinion of someone who used the product or service.
Is it legal in these six situations?
These are the ones owners ask us about most.
| Situation | Legal? |
| Paying a seller for reviews from strangers | No |
| Asking friends or family who were never customers | No |
| Staff or the owner posting as customers | No |
| Offering customers a discount for a review | Risky, and banned by Google |
| Removing negative reviews from your own website | Risky |
| Paying a service to ask your real customers | Yes |
Paying a seller. This is arranging for others to create fake reviews. It’s the clearest breach.
Friends and family. The ACCC says a review may mislead when it’s written by a family member and that connection isn’t stated. If they weren’t customers, it’s also simply false.
Staff or the owner. The ACCC lists reviews written by the reviewed business or its employees as examples that may mislead.
Discounts. The ACCC allows incentives only if they apply to positive and negative reviews alike and are clearly disclosed. Google bans them outright, so for Google reviews the answer is no.
Removing negatives. The ACCC says suppressing or editing negative reviews may mislead consumers.
Paid outreach. The customer is real, the opinion is theirs, and nobody is rewarded. Nothing about it misleads anyone.
Has anyone been penalised?
Yes. The ACCC’s own case studies give a sense of the range.
In 2011, a removalist called Citymove published altered testimonials as its own and paid a $6,600 infringement notice. Solar businesses trading as Euro Solar and Australian Solar Panel were ordered to pay $125,000 over fake testimonials and false origin claims.
Larger cases went further. The Federal Court ordered Service Seeking to pay $600,000 after its platform let businesses draft their own reviews. HealthEngine was ordered to pay $2.9 million for conduct that included suppressing and editing negative patient reviews.
How does the ACCC find out?
Often from your competitors. In the Euro Solar case, the ACCC said competing businesses brought the conduct to its attention.
The ACCC also accepts reports from the public about fake reviews and review manipulation, and uses them to decide where to investigate. In our experience, owners underestimate how closely rivals watch each other’s profiles.
Can the owner be held personally responsible?
Yes. In the Euro Solar case, the company’s sole director was ordered to pay $20,000 himself, on top of the company’s penalty.
The maximum penalty for an individual is now $2.5 million. For a company, it’s the greater of $50 million, three times the benefit gained, or 30 per cent of turnover during the breach. Courts set the real figure to fit the conduct, so a small business won’t face numbers like those. The point is that a company structure doesn’t always protect you.
Isn’t Google’s penalty separate from the law?
It is, and it usually arrives first. Google can remove fake reviews, pause new ones, hide your existing reviews for a set period, and show a public warning on your profile.
So a business that buys reviews faces two sets of consequences from two different bodies. Neither one waits for the other.
How do you get more Google reviews legally?
Ask the people you’ve served. That’s the whole method, and it satisfies the law and Google at once.
- On a computer, open your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, then Copy. Google provides the link, so you don’t need a Google review link generator.
- Ask every customer in person on the day you finish their job.
- Text the link within the hour, or send a short review request email template that asks for an honest review.
- Send one reminder a week later.
- Reply to every review.
Ask everyone, including customers who had a complaint. When you respond to negative Google reviews openly, you’re doing what the ACCC recommends, which is correcting the record in public.
If a fake review about you appears, report it. Select the three dots next to it, then Report review. That’s the legal way to remove fake Google reviews.
BuyReviews can do the asking for you. You share your customer list, we send the requests and reminders, and your customers write their own words. It’s how we help clients get Google reviews and improve Google reviews within the law. For Google reviews, Australia has clear rules, and we treat online reputation management in Australia as a matter of following them.
Frequently asked questions
Can I be fined for buying Google reviews?
Yes. The ACCC says it’s against the law to create fake or misleading reviews or arrange for others to. Past outcomes range from a $6,600 infringement notice to court-ordered penalties in the millions for larger businesses. The current maximums are $50 million or more for companies and $2.5 million for individuals.
Is it illegal to ask friends and family for reviews?
If they were never customers, it can be. The ACCC says a review may mislead consumers when it’s written by a family member or someone connected to the business and that connection isn’t stated. Google also treats it as a conflict of interest. A friend who really hired you is a customer, though Google may still see a conflict.
Is it illegal to write a review for my own business?
Yes, if it’s presented as coming from a customer. The ACCC lists reviews written by the reviewed business as an example of conduct that may mislead consumers. One ACCC case involved a platform that let businesses draft their own reviews, and the Federal Court ordered $600,000 in penalties.
Does it matter if the seller is overseas?
Using an overseas seller doesn’t change your position. In our understanding, the law looks at what your business did, which is arrange for misleading reviews to be shown to Australian consumers. The seller may be out of reach, but you aren’t. It’s one more way the risk falls on the buyer and not the seller.
What should I do if I’ve already bought reviews?
Stop buying, and take steps to remove them. The ACCC says a business that doesn’t remove or correct reviews it knows are fake may be in breach. Report each one through Read reviews, the three dots, then Report review. If you’re worried about your legal position, speak to a lawyer.
What should you do next?
Go through the six situations in the table and check your own practices against them. Fix anything in the “No” or “Risky” rows this week.
Then build your reviews the legal way. Send BuyReviews your customer list and we’ll help you get Google reviews from real customers, with nothing you’d need to explain to the ACCC.
