How to document a fake review
A flag is a claim that a review breaks a specific rule. Trustpilot assesses the words you highlight, for the one reason you choose, and a flag cannot be edited once it is sent. Good documentation is what makes the claim right the first time. It is the file we build for every review we remove. You pay per removal.
By James Tumbucon. Published · Updated . Reviewed against Trustpilot’s guidelines on
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Short answer
Capture the review before you do anything: screenshot, link, date, star rating, label and reviewer profile. Decide which one of Trustpilot's five flagging reasons applies. Write down the exact words that break the rule and the fact that supports it. Do the step Trustpilot requires first, such as Request information. Then flag once, and log the outcome. Health brands must keep every piece of patient information out of the file.
Key facts
Each Trustpilot flag can use one reason, and Trustpilot assesses only the content highlighted for that reason. A submitted flag cannot be edited or deleted.
Source: What happens after businesses flag reviews?, Trustpilot Help Center
Before flagging a review as not based on a genuine experience, a business must use the Request information tool. The reviewer has 3 days to respond.
Source: How to flag service reviews from your business account, Trustpilot Help Center
Trustpilot asks reviewers for documents such as order confirmations, receipts, delivery notes or email conversations, and never shares them with the reviewed company.
Source: Which documents help us verify your review?, Trustpilot Help Center
Health brands should keep charts, prescriptions, lab results and intake answers out of every evidence file.
Source: Remove One Star, How it works
Why documentation decides the outcome
Three of Trustpilot's rules make preparation matter:
- One reason per flag. Trustpilot assesses the content you highlighted for the reason you chose. The wrong reason fails even if another rule was broken.
- No edits. Once a flag is submitted it cannot be edited or deleted.
- Your record is public. Flags that fail are counted as invalid cases on your Company activity page.
Step 1: capture the review
Do this first, every time.
| Capture | Why |
|---|---|
| Full-page screenshot with the date visible | The reviewer can edit, and harmful content flags hide the review |
| The review's link | It is your reference, and later your proof of removal |
| Star rating and label (Verified, Invited, Redirected, Unprompted) | The label decides which routes are open |
| The reviewer's public profile: name shown, location, number of reviews, other companies reviewed | Patterns across reviews are evidence |
| Date of experience, if shown | Genuine experience checks generally cover the last year only |
Step 2: match the review to one rule
| Flagging reason | What to document |
|---|---|
| Harmful or illegal | The exact words. The sub-reason: hate speech, terrorism, threats or violence, obscenity or defamation. For defamation, proof that a statement of fact is false, and the financial harm |
| Personal information | The name, phone number, email, photo or video. A check that it is not already public on your website or profile. Whether it belongs to someone other than the reviewer |
| Advertising or promotional | The code, link, sales pitch or spam text |
| Not based on a genuine experience | Why the reviewer was not eligible: employee, competitor, paid reviewer, someone else's experience, or an old experience. The outcome of the Request information step |
| About a different business | The words that show the mix-up: a product you do not sell, a city you do not serve, another company's name |
Source: Trustpilot's flagging reasons.
- One rule namedPersonal information
- Exact words highlightedA full name and a phone number
- Supporting fact confirmedNot public on the brand's site or profile
- Required first step sentEdit request to the reviewer, 3 days to respond
- Same breach checked in positive reviewsOne 5-star review added to the plan
- No patient information in the fileNothing clinical is ever attached
For how many fake reviews Trustpilot finds each year, and how its detection works, see fake Trustpilot reviews.
Step 3: the evidence that works for "fake" reviews
"Fake" usually means the genuine experience reason. Trustpilot will not remove a review because the person did not buy from you, because you dispute their story, or because you do not recognize them. Useful evidence shows the reviewer was not eligible.
| Evidence | Strength |
|---|---|
| The review says the experience was a friend's or relative's | Strong. It is in the text |
| The reviewer's profile name or employer matches a competitor's staff | Strong, if you can show it from public sources |
| The reviewer is a current employee or contractor | Strong. Trustpilot bars employees and their immediate family |
| The review describes a product, price or location you have never had | Strong. Often fits "different business" better |
| A cluster of new accounts posting near-identical text within hours | Supporting. Note times and wording |
| No account, order or ticket matches the name | Weak by itself. It starts the Request information step |
Trustpilot changed this route in 2024. Its Trust Report 2025 says it reduced the burden on consumers to prove a review is real, after feedback that some businesses were abusing the reporting tools. Flagged reviews go through detection software that looks at data about the review and the reviewer.
Step 4: the required first step
Before a genuine experience flag, Trustpilot requires the Request information tool. The reviewer gets 3 days to respond. Log the date you sent it and the outcome. For personal information and different business flags, the first step is an edit request to the reviewer, also with 3 days.
Trustpilot's documentation guide lists what it accepts when it asks a reviewer for proof. The list includes order confirmations, invoices, delivery notes, screenshots of a logged-in account, email conversations and call or text history. You will not see what they send.
Step 5: keep a case log
One row per review. A spreadsheet is enough. For the checks behind each row, print our flag evidence checklist, one sheet per review.
| Column | Example |
|---|---|
| Review ID and link | R-021, link |
| Date posted, stars, label | 2026-08-14, 1 star, Unprompted |
| Rule | About a different business |
| Exact words | "their sofa arrived broken" |
| Supporting fact | We have never sold furniture |
| Required first step | Edit request sent 2026-09-02, no response |
| Date flagged | 2026-09-06 |
| Outcome and date | Taken offline, 2026-09-15 |
| Proof | Screenshot file name, dead link checked |
The log also protects you. If Trustpilot ever questions your flagging, you can show that each flag had a reason.
What health brands must leave out
If you are a covered entity, the fact that someone is your patient is protected health information. Your evidence file should never contain:
- charts, prescriptions, lab results or intake answers
- screenshots of a patient account
- order details that name a medication
State facts without attaching records: "No account matches this name or email." Trustpilot also tells reviewers not to send medical records. The telehealth page covers evidence that stays outside the patient file, and our guide to HIPAA-safe replies covers what you can say in public.
After the decision
- Taken offline: save the dead link as proof. Trustpilot does not delete reviews, so it can come back if the reviewer later sends documents.
- Kept online: record it. You may appeal once within 6 months if you have new facts. Do not re-flag for the same reason, which Trustpilot lists as misuse.
- A different rule also applies: Trustpilot lets you flag a different issue once the first case is closed.
During a wave of suspicious reviews, the same method applies at a slower pace. See what to do when your brand is review-bombed. For how each category tends to play out, see flagging categories and success rates.
Our free audit builds the first four columns of that log for every 1-star and 2-star review on your profile. The main Trustpilot review removal page explains the rest of the process.
For help with your own profile, start with our Trustpilot review removal service. Our review removal pricing is per confirmed removal, with nothing up front.
Frequently asked questions
For most reasons, the evidence is the review's own text, which you highlight when you flag. For a genuine experience flag, Trustpilot runs the review through detection software. If you disagree with its decision, you can reply to the decision email and explain why, with supporting information. Trustpilot says it will not overturn a decision just because you do not recognize the reviewer.
No. Trustpilot says it never shares a reviewer's documentation with the reviewed company. Source: which documents help verify a review.
Yes, always. Reviews flagged as harmful or illegal are hidden during the check, reviewers can edit their text, and you will want a record of what was there. Capture the full review, the date, the star rating, the label and the reviewer's public profile.
Trustpilot lets you appeal a Content Integrity decision once, within 6 months, through the link in its decision email. Include facts and documents. If the appeal fails, the decision stands. Do not flag the same review again for the same reason. Source: appealing a decision.
Primary sources used on this page
- For which reasons can businesses flag service reviews?. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- What happens after businesses flag reviews?. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- Transparent Flagging: see how a business is reporting its reviews. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- Trust Report 2025. TrustpilotLast verified
- How to flag service reviews from your business account. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- Which documents help us verify your review?. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- How can I appeal a decision made by the Content Integrity Team?. Trustpilot Help CenterLast verified
- Action We Take. TrustpilotLast verified