---
title: Know Your Fake Reviews- State AGs Signal Enforcement Action
date: 2023-11-17T03:00:00-05:00
author: "mhenry@kelleydrye.com"
canonical_url: "https://www.kelleydrye.com/viewpoints/podcasts/ad-law-access/know-your-fake-reviews-state-ags-signal-enforcement-action"
section: Podcast Episodes
---
# Know Your Fake Reviews- State AGs Signal Enforcement Action

  November 17, 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 [Kelley Drye Ad Law Access Podcast](https://soundcloud.com/adlawaccess "Kelley Drye Ad Law Access Podcast") · [Know Your Fake Reviews- State AGs Signal Enforcement Action](https://soundcloud.com/adlawaccess/know-your-fake-reviews-state "Know Your Fake Reviews- State AGs Signal Enforcement Action")

 [Apple](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/know-your-fake-reviews-state-ags-signal-enforcement-action/id1457734764?i=1000635221825) [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/793bGyDdn88QCgtlTt8lqN?si=xI3vclsCTW6xs47GMo8PUg) [SoundCloud](https://soundcloud.com/adlawaccess/know-your-fake-reviews-state?si=19d3683c30154259b3a4b5d5b71c6616&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing) 

 

Reviews matter. In a survey conducted by Yelp, 83% of consumers who read reviews say they trust online reviews about local businesses. However, fake reviews may mislead consumers. Recently, there was media attention around a one-night-only restaurant in New York City that arose from fake reviews. The idea for a restaurant spawned from a joke. A group of friends had renamed (on Google Maps) the house they lived in to ​“Mehran’s Steakhouse” and left reviews about the ​“restaurant.” It was not an established ​“restaurant” at the time, though some of the reviews suggested otherwise. ​“Mehran’s Steakhouse” had 91 reviews and a near-perfect Google rating. The friends set up a website and created a waiting list, where over 900 people signed up. Eventually, the friends put together a one-night-only dining experience. They obtained a liquor license, food handling permits, printed menus, and set up a number of ​“fake”-themed performances (e.g. fans of the artist, Drake, stood outside the restaurant holding posters to get Drake’s attention, though Drake was not there; a fake proposal occurred in the dining room).

[www.kelleydrye.com/viewpoints/blog…nal-enforcement](https://gate.sc/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kelleydrye.com%2Fviewpoints%2Fblogs%2Fad-law-access%2Fknow-your-fake-reviews-state-ags-signal-enforcement&token=9d357b-1-1700518422728 "https://www.kelleydrye.com/viewpoints/blogs/ad-law-access/know-your-fake-reviews-state-ags-signal-enforcement")

 

 

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- [Federal Trade Commission](https://www.kelleydrye.com/practices/federal-trade-commission)
- [State Attorneys General](https://www.kelleydrye.com/practices/state-attorneys-general)