Yelp to alert consumers on fake reviews

Yelp says it will alert users if it suspects that a business has tried to buy fake, misleading reviews on its site.

Yelp Inc. said Thursday that some businesses go to "extreme lengths" to boost positive reviews. This includes paying people to write them.

While Yelp already filters suspected fake reviews, the alerts will add an extra layer of scrutiny. San Francisco-based Yelp says alerts will stay on a business' page for 90 days after it's placed there. If Yelp finds ongoing efforts to post fake reviews, the alert will remain longer.

Consumers can click on the alert to see more details on the misleading reviews, including screenshots.

Yelp has more than 78 million monthly visitors.

[momo0501]

Yelp is a very dishonest company. If you're a company and you don't buy advertising from them they only post negative reviews. It seems to me that any company that posts reviews (Yelp) should not be allowed to charge money from the actual companies that they're posting reviews about. Of course, they're going to more favorably highlight companies that are paying them money. My husband has a small painting business. One guy years ago posted a negative review about my husband's company. Since then MANY of his customers have posted glowing reviews. Yet the only review you can find on Yelp is the one negative one. We have tried contacting them...asking them to show all reviews not just the negative one..to no avail. Customers beware when using Yelp!