
Is Buying Fake Reviews Illegal? The Legal Risks, and the Safer Way to Fix Your Ratings
By the MGMT Reputation team · Updated 28 October 2026 Is buying fake reviews illegal? Yes. In the United States, buying fake reviews is illegal under federal consumer protection law, and since 2024 the Federal Trade Commission has had a specific rule that lets it seek civil penalties per fake



Welcome to the MGMT Reputation blog — straight-talking guidance on protecting and repairing your online reputation. Our team works real removal, suppression, and review-management cases every day across legal, medical, real estate, hospitality, and dating-reputation work, and we share what actually works: how to remove negative content, push damaging results down in Google, deal with fake reviews, and stay ahead of reputation threats. Browse the latest guides below, or head to our reputation management services if you need help with a specific problem.