Google takes legal action against fake business reviews and scams.
Google is suing Ethan Hu and 20 unnamed co-defendants for creating over 350 fake business profiles and 14,000 fake reviews to sell to other businesses looking to promote their services in Google's search results. Hu allegedly posed as fake business owners on calls with Google employees, using props to pass off fake listings as real small businesses. Google is seeking damages and a permanent ban on advertising or selling false verification services. The lawsuit comes as Google faces competition from new AI-assisted search services and a potential flood of low-quality AI-generated search results.