When I think of Astroturf this time of year I think of football. That probably isn’t true for the New York AG’s office, which has continued its assault on the posting of fake reviews, also known as “astroturfing.” Earlier this month the NY AG announced two more enforcement actions against an urgent medical care facility and a car service. The two actions and the difference in their business models demonstrate that this issue is not going away and that any business type that uses online reviews to help market its product can be at risk. See these prior posts on the AG’s efforts: AG rips up Astroturf; and NY AG targets deceptive endorsements.
According to the AG, the urgent care provider Medrite paid Internet advertising teams thousands of dollars to post favorable reviews on Yelp, CitySearch, Yahoo Local Page, and Google Plus. Medrite also hired freelancers through Craigslist and other sources to post favorable reviews. Medrite did not require that the reviewers actually visit its clinics or that the reviewers disclose that the reviewers were being compensated for their reviews. Both are big no nos in using reviews to market your product.
Continue Reading NY AG Keeps up the Pressure on Astroturfing