How to remove a fake Trustpilot review
Last updated · reviewed by the Essentras editorial team
A single fabricated review can quietly cost you customers for years, and Trustpilot is built so a business rarely wins on its own. This is the honest, researched guide to what actually comes down, how the process really works, the legal routes when flagging fails, and the mistakes that make it worse.
The numbers
Fake reviews are an industrial problem, and a legal one.
The honest answer
Trustpilot removes reviews that break its rules, not reviews you dislike.
That one distinction decides everything. A fake, a competitor planting one-stars, a defamatory false claim, those can come down. A real customer’s honest, even brutal, account stays. Any service promising to remove “any review” is lying to you or using methods that get your profile penalised. The work is proving which side of the line a review sits on, and building the case.
What qualifies
The line, drawn clearly.
- Reviews from people who were never customers (no order, no transaction)
- Competitor or conflict-of-interest reviews, and coordinated one-star bursts
- Fake reviews from throwaway or purchased accounts
- False statements of fact that are defamatory and cause real harm
- Harassment, threats, hate speech, or naming private employees
- Personal information or doxxing, off-topic content, spam, or AI-generated text
- Honest reviews about a genuine customer experience
- Low star ratings with no comment, from real customers
- Criticism that is unflattering, even harsh, but true
- A customer’s subjective opinion or exaggeration of a real experience
- For genuine reviews, the move isn’t removal, it’s a strong public response and rebuilding recent positive volume so one review stops defining you.
The grounds
The five reasons a review comes down.
Trustpilot only acts on a specific violation. Name the right one, with evidence, and your odds change completely.
No real purchase or service interaction, or a review about the wrong business. The single most common removable category.
Competitors, ex-employees, the business owner’s own circle, or anyone with a competitive or financial motive.
Specific, verifiable statements that are untrue, fabricated orders, invented incidents, events that never happened.
Hate speech, threats, harassment of named staff, obscenity, or defamation that meets the legal bar.
Phone numbers, addresses, private photos, promotional links, or coordinated manipulation campaigns.
Not sure which ground applies to your review?
Get a free case assessmentThe process
How the flagging process actually works.
Screenshot and preserve the review (reviewers can edit or delete without warning). Gather the proof: order and CRM records showing no transaction, account age, timing, competitor links.
From the business dashboard, flag the review under the exact guideline it breaches, not “this is unfair”. For “not genuine” and personal-data flags, the reviewer gets 3 days to respond.
Trustpilot’s human moderation team investigates the flag and your evidence, then removes or reinstates. There is no published timeline.
If it’s refused, the decision email contains a formal dispute link to a senior reviewer. Add the evidence the first pass missed, rather than re-flagging (which can get you penalised).
When flagging fails
The legal escalation ladder.
If a review is genuinely defamatory, the platform process is only step one. This is where most agencies stop and most law firms start. The full picture runs both.
A formal letter setting out the false statements and demanding retraction. Often more effective than an informal request because it signals real intent.
Under the Defamation Act 2013, Trustpilot must remove the content or disclose the reviewer’s identity, or it loses its hosting immunity and can be liable itself.
A court order compelling Trustpilot to hand over the anonymous reviewer’s data (email, IP) so a claim can proceed against the right person.
Against the reviewer, not the platform. You must prove the statement is false, was published, and caused serious financial loss. A high bar, but a winnable one.
Real cases
The courts have put numbers on this.
A reviewer called a law firm a “total waste of money” and “another scam solicitor”. The court found it defamatory, awarded £25,000, and ordered removal.
Reviews labelling a firm “con men” and “rogue traders” across Trustpilot and Google were found defamatory. The reviewer was ordered to pay €40,000.
A firm sued Trustpilot directly over 20 reviews, claiming a £3.7M lost contract. It lost: you sue the reviewer, not the platform, and you must prove causation. The cautionary tale.
Why flagging it yourself can backfire.
Flag aggressively, repeatedly, or without grounds and Trustpilot can place a Consumer Warning on your profile and strip your TrustScore from Google search, for around six months. The tool meant to protect you ends up punishing you. Removal isn’t about flagging harder; it’s about citing the precise violation, documenting it, and escalating correctly to the people who actually decide.
Send us the review. We’ll tell you honestly if it can come down.
Essentras runs the Trustpilot flagging process and the legal route together. Free case assessment, a straight answer, official and legal channels only. No false promises.
FAQ
Trustpilot review removal, FAQ
Can you remove a Trustpilot review?▾
Only if it breaches Trustpilot’s guidelines: fake, from a non-customer, a competitor or conflict of interest, defamatory (a false statement of fact), or containing harassment, personal data, or prohibited content. A genuine review from a real customer stays, even a harsh one.
How long does Trustpilot take to remove a review?▾
Anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Trustpilot publishes no fixed timeline. Clear-cut cases (no transaction, obvious competitor) move faster than contested ones, and a legal escalation adds time.
What if Trustpilot refuses to remove it?▾
You can dispute the decision with stronger evidence, and where the review is defamatory, escalate outside the platform: a solicitor letter, a Section 5 Defamation Act notice (UK) forcing Trustpilot to remove or identify the reviewer, or a defamation claim against the reviewer.
Is it legal to pay a service to remove Trustpilot reviews?▾
Yes, if the service works through Trustpilot’s official flagging and dispute process and legitimate legal channels. It is not legal (and against Trustpilot’s terms) to pay for fake positive reviews, to bribe for removals, or to pressure reviewers. No one can guarantee removal; Trustpilot makes the final call.
Do fake Trustpilot reviews affect my Google rating?▾
Yes. Your TrustScore can feed Google Seller Ratings, the stars shown in your search listings and ads, so a fake review can quietly raise your cost per customer, not just dent your profile.
Can I sue someone for a fake Trustpilot review?▾
Potentially, if the review states false facts (not opinion) and caused real financial harm. UK and Irish courts have awarded £25,000 and €40,000 against reviewers. But causation is hard to prove, and you sue the reviewer, not the platform.
Sources
- Trustpilot Trust Report 2025 (200k/day, 4.5M removed, 90% automated)
- Trustpilot — Guidelines for Reviewers
- Trustpilot — Action We Take (enforcement)
- FTC — Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule (16 CFR Part 465)
- Summerfield Browne Ltd v Waymouth (£25,000 award)
- BW Legal Services Ltd v Trustpilot A/S [2024] EWHC 1449
Essentras challenges reviews that breach Trustpilot’s published guidelines, through Trustpilot’s own flagging and dispute process and, where a review is defamatory, lawful legal channels. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Trustpilot. We never remove genuine reviews and never guarantee an outcome. General information, not legal advice.
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