In today’s digital world, online reviews are an essential part of how customers evaluate businesses. Genuine feedback builds trust and helps brands grow, but unfortunately, some bad actors misuse platforms like Google My Business (GMB) to spread negativity and extort money. Recently, Digital Media Sapiens, a reputed digital marketing agency in Dubai, became a direct target of such scammers.
Scammers Posting Fake Reviews
Over the past few days, multiple suspicious one-star reviews appeared on our official Google My Business profile. These reviews were clearly fake, with generic comments such as:
“Their strategies are outdated, generic, and had no positive impact on my brand.” – David Dave
“I wasted months and money here, no real results and very poor communication from their team.” – Robert Johnson
“Completely unprofessional service, they only made promises but delivered nothing useful for my business.” – David Rue
“I don’t recommend.” – Michael Peralez
“Bad service.” – Moore Jeen
These names, as shown in our GMB screenshots, are not associated with any of our genuine clients. Instead, they are part of a coordinated scam.
The Extortion Attempt
Alongside these fake reviews, our team also received WhatsApp messages from a scammer demanding money in exchange for removing the negative ratings. The scammer openly stated:
They had posted fake 1-star reviews on our profile and other businesses.
They were demanding $200 as payment.
If payment was not made, they threatened to continue posting fake reviews daily.
Screenshots clearly show messages such as:
“I have worked on five businesses and I haven’t received my payment, that’s why I’m putting one star. My payment is $200. If I don’t receive my payment, I have five businesses and I’ll keep putting one star.”
This is a direct case of online extortion where scammers weaponize reviews to pressure businesses into paying money.
Impact on Reputation
Even though Digital Media Sapiens maintains a strong 4.6-star rating from genuine clients, these fake reviews can still:
Mislead potential customers.
Lower trust in our brand.
Hurt our search visibility on Google.
Create unnecessary stress for our team.
It is important to note that these reviews are not from real clients but from scammers attempting to exploit businesses.
Our Stand Against Scammers
At Digital Media Sapiens, we want to make it clear:
We will not give in to extortion.
We are reporting these fake reviews and extortion attempts to Google and relevant authorities.
We continue to deliver the highest quality digital marketing services to our genuine clients across Dubai and beyond.
Conclusion
The recent attack on Digital Media Sapiens’ Google My Business profile highlights a growing scam where fake reviews are used as blackmail tools. Scammers, under names such as David Dave, Robert Johnson, David Rue, Michael Peralez, and Moore Jeen, have left misleading one-star reviews and demanded money for their removal.
We encourage our clients and readers to be aware of such fraudulent practices. Online reviews should reflect real customer experiences, not be misused for scams and extortion. By raising awareness and standing firm, we aim to protect the integrity of businesses and the trust of customers in the digital space.