LocalImpact Report: 72% of Businesses Received a Fake Review in the Past Year
LocalImpact survey of 400 US business owners finds fake reviews have become a near-universal experience, with 79% believing they've been deliberately targeted at some point
LocalImpact, an online reputation management platform for local businesses, released a new research report finding that 72% of US local business owners have received a fake review in the past 12 months. The study, How Fake Reviews Are Hurting Local Businesses in 2026, is based on a survey of 400 owners and operators of brick-and-mortar businesses across categories including restaurants, retail, medical practices, and home services.
The findings suggest fake reviews have moved from an occasional nuisance to a recurring operational risk. A quarter of owners (25%) reported receiving six or more fake reviews in a single year, and 7% said they'd received more than ten. Only 8% of owners were confident they'd received zero fake reviews in the past 12 months.
Coordinated attacks and competitor suspicion are widespread
