Underground forums sell fake five-star reviews and negative review removal, with AI automation and residential proxies
Malwarebytes researchers examined cybercrime forums where sellers advertise "reputation management" services: bulk five-star review generation and removal of negative reviews on platforms such as Google, Trustpilot, Yelp, Airbnb and mobile app stores. Sellers named include aqenova and TrustForge, the latter claiming more than 10,000 fake reviews posted via a "private method" that guarantees reviews are not dropped by platforms. Forum users also discussed using AI to mimic E-E-A-T and generate human-sounding reviews at scale, with one claiming Google indexed fully AI-generated reviews without problems. The research is consumer-fraud focused with no direct technical exploit, so immediate defender urgency is limited.
Detalhes técnicos
- aqenova offers five-star review generation and negative review removal across Google, Trustpilot, Yelp and app stores.
- TrustForge says real people post reviews manually, offers delivery and "non-drop" guarantees, and charges extra if the main operator writes the text.
- Removal of a single review typically costs $100–$200; one seller advertised Airbnb review removal for about $1,100 per review.
- A forum seller supplies residential and mobile proxies marketed for fake review campaigns, helping evade detection that flags datacenter IP ranges.
- Forum users discuss AI-generated reviews designed to mimic E-E-A-T to boost rankings.
Remediação
- Consumers should read recent and middle-rated reviews rather than the overall score, and look for repeated wording or sudden bursts of glowing feedback.
- Check seller contact details and return policies before buying.
- Use tools such as Malwarebytes Browser Guard and Scam Guard to check suspicious offers.
Linha do tempo
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Underground forums sell fake five-star reviews and negative review removal, with AI automation and residential proxies
ler a análise desta fonte ocultar
Malwarebytes researchers examined cybercrime forums where sellers advertise "reputation management" services: bulk five-star review generation and removal of negative reviews on platforms such as Google, Trustpilot, Yelp, Airbnb and mobile app stores. Sellers named include aqenova and TrustForge, the latter claiming more than 10,000 fake reviews posted via a "private method" that guarantees reviews are not dropped by platforms. Forum users also discussed using AI to mimic E-E-A-T and generate human-sounding reviews at scale, with one claiming Google indexed fully AI-generated reviews without problems. The research is consumer-fraud focused with no direct technical exploit, so immediate defender urgency is limited.
Technical Details
- aqenova offers five-star review generation and negative review removal across Google, Trustpilot, Yelp and app stores.
- TrustForge says real people post reviews manually, offers delivery and "non-drop" guarantees, and charges extra if the main operator writes the text.
- Removal of a single review typically costs $100–$200; one seller advertised Airbnb review removal for about $1,100 per review.
- A forum seller supplies residential and mobile proxies marketed for fake review campaigns, helping evade detection that flags datacenter IP ranges.
- Forum users discuss AI-generated reviews designed to mimic E-E-A-T to boost rankings.
Remediation
- Consumers should read recent and middle-rated reviews rather than the overall score, and look for repeated wording or sudden bursts of glowing feedback.
- Check seller contact details and return policies before buying.
- Use tools such as Malwarebytes Browser Guard and Scam Guard to check suspicious offers.