Several Montreal restaurants have found themselves under a coordinated digital attack, hit with a barrage of fraudulent one-star Google reviews in what appears to be an organized extortion scheme. The incident has left local business owners frustrated and highlights the vulnerabilities small enterprises face in the digital landscape.
The Sudden Onslaught of Fake Reviews
Harrison Shewchuk, co-owner of Restaurant Limbo in Little Italy, described waking up to an alarming situation. "We woke up, and I was getting notifications of one-star reviews, an insane amount of them," Shewchuk recounted. The fine-dining establishment, which opened in March 2024, received approximately 25 negative reviews all at once during the morning of November 10, 2025.
The reviews immediately raised red flags due to their inaccurate content. Several complaints mentioned soggy burgers, despite the fact that Limbo doesn't serve burgers. Other fictitious complaints included sticky tables and lack of menus—claims that Shewchuk called "impossible" for their high-end, seasonal dining establishment.
The Extortion Pattern Emerges
Among the suspicious activity, a clear extortion attempt surfaced. A user named "Joke Roy" left a one-star review that contained an explicit offer: "See my profile. Business owner contact me. I'll delete one star review." Shewchuk confirmed this was clearly an extortion attempt, noting they chose to handle the situation through proper channels rather than engage with the scammer.
According to investigations by TVA Nouvelles, the phone number linked to the scammer traced back to Pakistan. The individual behind the scheme reportedly demanded $200 to remove the negative reviews. The Gazette identified that at least five Montreal restaurants experienced identical review surges, including Salle Climatisée, Bistro La Franquette, Mastard, and Le Violon.
Impact and Community Response
The fake reviews had immediate consequences for the targeted businesses. Limbo's previously stellar 4.8 out of 5 Google rating plummeted to 4.3 after the first wave of negative reviews, then dropped closer to 4.0 following another burst of fraudulent activity on Tuesday. For small restaurants like Limbo, Google ratings significantly influence customer decisions, particularly among out-of-town diners, Shewchuk explained.
Despite the frustrating situation, the Montreal community demonstrated remarkable solidarity. "The community really pulled through and started giving five-star reviews to try to get it back up while it was happening," Shewchuk said. "Which was super sweet. And now all of them are gone and we're at 4.8."
A Growing Digital Threat
This incident is not isolated to Montreal. Similar cases have been reported in cities across North America, including Philadelphia, where fake reviews were traced to Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Experts describe these schemes as having evolved into "a widespread cottage industry" that preys on small businesses dependent on online reviews.
The problem has been exacerbated by technological advances. According to The New York Times, artificial intelligence tools have helped scammers generate fake reviews at an unprecedented scale. Major platforms like Google and Amazon routinely remove hundreds of millions of fraudulent reviews annually, but the challenge continues to grow.
Kay Dean, a former federal criminal investigator who tracks these scams through Fake Review Watch, told The Times that "There is this whole underworld that's underpinning what you see online that people just don't know about."
For Montreal restaurant owners, the experience has been both frustrating and enlightening. The opaque process for reporting fake reviews to Google—described by co-owner Jack Zeppetelli as limited to filling out forms with no direct communication—added to their challenges. However, by Wednesday, following media attention, the fraudulent reviews had disappeared from Limbo's page, though other restaurants continued to be targeted.
