By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    stress disorder
    5 Ways To Manage Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
    October 27, 2021
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    April 5, 2023
    varicose veins
    Varicose Veins Prevention: 3 Lifestyle Changes to Make Right Now
    May 1, 2022
    Latest News
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    How People Are Taking Advantage of Health Deals in the Recent Recession
    February 5, 2021
    Florida Board of Medicine Declares Arizona Homeopathic Doctor “Very, Very Dangerous”
    October 29, 2018
    6 Ways to Make Sure You’re Detoxing Properly
    July 26, 2018
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: $350,000 in Fines for Fake Online Reviews
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > $350,000 in Fines for Fake Online Reviews
eHealth

$350,000 in Fines for Fake Online Reviews

DavidEWilliams
DavidEWilliams
Share
3 Min Read
fake reviews
SHARE

fake reviewsKudos to New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, who pursued a major investigation of the fake online review business that ended with agreements with 19 companies to cease writing fake reviews and to pay fines totaling more than $350,000.

fake reviewsKudos to New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, who pursued a major investigation of the fake online review business that ended with agreements with 19 companies to cease writing fake reviews and to pay fines totaling more than $350,000. Online reviews matter, which is why some companies are willing to pay $1 to $10 per review to boost their reputations on sites like Yelp and Google Local.

I’m a fan of online reviews in general, and for health care providers in particular. But I acknowledge that fake reviews are a problem. The online review companies understand this and are going after fakes with filtering software and other approaches. So it’s good to see law enforcement join the fray to help protect consumers and enable online review sites to flourish. As Schneiderman says:

“Companies that continue to engage in these practices should take note: ‘Astroturfing’ is the 21st century’s version of false advertising, and prosecutors have many tools at their disposal to put an end to it.”

The battle against fake reviews is far from helpless. In addition to automated fake-detection tools and legal action, there are business models and community structures that can clean things up. Angie’s List, for example, does not suffer from fake reviews the way free sites do. On the flipside, Angie’s suffers from limited traffic as a result of its paywall –and it also doesn’t understand how to adjust its rating scheme for health care. They’ve asked me literally twenty times to rate Northeast Surgical Center, even though I’ve told them I’m not a patient there.

More Read

Apple HealthKit: Epic Integration at Ochsner Health System
Track Your Healthcare Social Media Marketing With Pinterest Web Analytics
Why Transparency Matters More Than Ever
Small Practice Medical Website Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Everyone is Talking about Big Data

But eventually someone will figure out how to build a trustworthy, open community that generates high quality reviews and couples them with objective data on quality of process and outcomes.

(fines for fake reviews / shutterstock)

TAGGED:online reviews
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025
paramedics in surgical gloves and masks
How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
Health care
July 16, 2025
a woman giving a key
How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
Health
July 16, 2025
a woman with kinesio tapes on her back arm
How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
Health care
July 16, 2025

You Might also Like

Image
Mobile HealthTechnology

Mobile Health Around the Globe: MedTech for Kids From Teddy the Guardian

September 16, 2013

Benefits of Long-Form Content in Healthcare Marketing

May 27, 2014
Image
Medical DevicesMedical InnovationsMobile HealthNewsTechnology

mHealthSummit Day 2 – Innovations and Devices

December 5, 2012
embarrassed desperate woman
eHealthMedical InnovationsMobile Health

Dying of Embarrassment

May 5, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?