Google GMB's Old Facebook Page Pwnd by Fake Reviews Vendor

Google allowed a fake reviews company to snatch its old Facebook URL.

Google GMB's Old Facebook Page Pwnd by Fake Reviews Vendor
Photo by lalo Hernandez / Unsplash

When Google changed its local brand from "Google My Business" to "Google Business Profile" in November of 2021, its Facebook URL changed from facebook.com/GoogleMyBusiness to facebook.com/GoogleBusinessProfile.

Joy Hawkins pointed out on Twitter, we live in a world of unintended consequences:

The bad news: the page was quickly taken over by a business that sells Google reviews. The good news, they are only $4.

The moral of this tale is that both Google and Facebook failed the public vis-a-vis the world of consumer reviews. Google failed to prevent fake reviews from continuing to have value and Facebook failed to police its network for obvious scams.

Truly a grim metaphor for the state of reviews and moderation.