Trustpilot Fake Review Evidence: How to Secure Proof (2026)

In short

✓Capture the review, the reviewer profile and your company profile before you flag anything: flagging, edits and removals change what is visible.
✓A fake review needs proof of two things: what exactly was published and when, and that the reviewer has no genuine experience with you.
✓Flag breaches of guidelines on Trustpilot; for unlawful content such as defamation, use Trustpilot's legal notice route or go to court.
✓Consumers should keep a copy of their own honest review, because it can disappear during a dispute.
✓A sealed, timestamped capture is much harder to challenge than a screenshot.

What to capture on Trustpilot

Review permalink

Open the review on its own page and capture that URL: star rating, full text, date of experience, reviewer name and any Verified label.

Company profile

Your profile page with TrustScore, total review count and star distribution on that date, so you can later show the impact of the attack.

Reviewer profile

The reviewer's public profile: country, number of reviews and the other companies reviewed. Patterns here often reveal fake or paid accounts.

Company replies

Your public reply and the thread under the review. It shows you reacted calmly and what you said, if the reviewer later edits the text.

Changes over time

A series of captures of the profile and the review shows when a review wave started, how the score moved and whether texts were edited.

Your own records

Order database, CRM, support tickets and Trustpilot emails. They prove the reviewer was never a customer and document every step of your flag.

Why Trustpilot evidence disappears

Trustpilot is built so that reviews can change. Reviewers can edit or delete their reviews, Trustpilot removes reviews that breach its guidelines, and according to its guidelines for businesses, reviews flagged as harmful or illegal are hidden while they are being assessed. Your TrustScore and review count move every day.

That is fair for consumers, but it creates an evidence problem. If you flag a fake review and it disappears, you may later need to prove what it said, when it appeared and how many people could see it. If you sue the author, the other side may simply edit the text into something harmless.

Capture first, report second. Before you flag, reply or send a legal notice, secure the review, the reviewer profile and your company profile as they are right now.

Fake and defamatory reviews: what to capture before you flag

A fake review and a defamatory review are not the same thing. A fake review is written by someone with no genuine experience of your business. A defamatory review may come from a real customer but contains false statements of fact that damage your reputation. Harsh opinions based on a real experience are usually protected. Your evidence should match the case you want to make.

Open the review on its own page (the permalink via the share or date link) and capture that URL, not just your dashboard.
Capture the reviewer's public profile with all their other reviews.
Capture your company profile with the TrustScore and review count on that day.
Search your order system, CRM and support tickets for the reviewer's name, email domain, country and the date of experience, and export what you find or do not find.
Only then post a public reply or flag the review.

The same method for Google reviews: how businesses defend against fake Google reviews →

Competitor attacks and review waves

Coordinated attacks rarely look like one bad review. They look like a cluster: several one-star reviews in a few days, similar wording, reviewer profiles created recently with only one or two reviews, or reviewers who also praise the same competitor. A single screenshot cannot show a pattern. A series of captures can.

Capture every review in the wave on its own permalink, as soon as you notice it.
Capture each reviewer profile, especially if it reviews a competitor positively.
Capture your profile daily while the attack is running to document the drop in TrustScore.
Keep a simple log: date, review URL, reviewer, wording and why you think it is linked.

If you suspect a competitor, you will need more than suspicion before a court or a regulator. In the EU, commissioning fake consumer reviews is a banned commercial practice since the Omnibus Directive (EU) 2019/2161, which makes a well-documented pattern valuable for an unfair-competition claim.

Scheduled monitoring captures your Trustpilot profile daily or weekly, each capture a sealed proof →

Flagging on Trustpilot: what actually happens

Businesses with a claimed profile flag reviews in Trustpilot Business, consumers use the flag icon under a review. Trustpilot's guidelines list the main grounds for flagging:

Harmful or illegal content, such as threats, hate or defamatory accusations.
Personal information, for example a named employee's phone number or address.
Advertising or promotional content.
No genuine experience with the business.
The review is about a different business.

For the ground no genuine experience, Trustpilot may contact the reviewer and ask for documentation of the experience. Give a precise reason with your evidence (no matching order, no ticket, wrong country), not just the statement that the review is unfair. Keep every email Trustpilot sends you about the flag.

When flagging is not enough: legal notice, DSA and court

Trustpilot's guidelines are not the law. A review can stay online because it does not breach the guidelines and still be unlawful, for example because it accuses you of a crime that never happened.

Legal notice to Trustpilot

Trustpilot is operated for European users by Trustpilot A/S in Copenhagen, Denmark. As a hosting service under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), it must provide a way to report illegal content and give reasons when it removes or keeps content. Use its contact and reporting channels, explain which statement is unlawful and why, and attach your captures. If you disagree with the decision, you can use Trustpilot's internal complaint route.

Court

If the author is known, or Trustpilot does not act, a lawyer can seek removal, a correction or damages. Which law applies and where to sue depends on the case. What stays the same is that the court needs to see exactly what was published, when, and that it was publicly visible, often months after the review was changed or removed.

Keep your reply professional

Whatever route you take, your public reply becomes part of the record. A calm, factual reply helps both readers and your case; an angry one can be quoted against you.

Consumer warnings and invitation abuse accusations

Trustpilot can also act against businesses. If it finds misuse, such as buying fake reviews, offering incentives for reviews or inviting only customers who were happy, it can place a consumer warning on the profile, hide the TrustScore or restrict the business account. According to Trustpilot, a consumer warning usually stays for about six months, though this can vary with the type of misuse.

If you believe a warning is wrong, the burden is on you to show that your invitation process is fair. Document it before you appeal:

Capture your profile with the warning and its exact text on the day it appeared.
Capture your public pages that mention reviews, such as order confirmation pages or help pages, to show no incentives are offered.
Export your invitation settings and logs showing that all customers, not only happy ones, receive invitations.

For consumers: your review was removed or a company threatens you

Honest reviewers can end up in disputes too. A company may flag your review, ask Trustpilot to remove it, or send you a letter demanding that you delete it. In each case, the first thing you need is proof of what you actually wrote.

Capture your review on its permalink as soon as you publish it, especially if it is critical.
Keep your order confirmation, invoices and correspondence with the company.
Save Trustpilot's emails about flags, documentation requests or removal.
Capture the company's public reply, especially if it contains accusations or your personal data.

Stating facts you can prove and describing your personal experience is generally lawful. If you receive a threatening letter, do not edit your review in panic: secure the evidence first and get advice from a consumer organisation or a lawyer.

Checking a shop's Trustpilot profile before you buy

A high TrustScore is not a guarantee. Before you pay an unknown shop, look at the profile critically and keep a copy of what you saw, in case the shop turns out to be a scam.

Look for a consumer warning or a notice that the TrustScore is hidden.
Read the most recent reviews and the one-star ones, not only the average.
Watch for many five-star reviews with short, generic texts posted in the same few days.
Compare the domain on the profile with the address of the shop you are actually on.

More quick checks before paying: how to check if a website is legit →

How to capture Trustpilot evidence properly

A screenshot of a review is an image that anyone can edit in minutes, and it does not show where it came from. Courts and platforms increasingly ask for more. A forensic capture records the full page, its source HTML and network log, seals everything with SHA-256 hashes and an eIDAS qualified timestamp, and anchors it in the Bitcoin blockchain, so anyone can verify later that nothing was changed.

Trustpilot reviews, reviewer profiles and company profiles are public, so GetProofAnchor can capture them by URL: paste the permalink in the web app, or order Assisted Capture if you need it done for you within an hour. For an ongoing attack, scheduled monitoring captures your profile automatically. Content in your Trustpilot Business account is behind login and should be exported from there or captured with the browser widget in your own browser.

Evidence workflows for reputation management and review disputes →

Reputation under attack?

Secure the post, review or profile first — then report it

Once you report or complain, content often gets edited or deleted. Capture it forensically now, then act. Recurring attacks? Monitor the page automatically.

Solutions for reputation We capture it for you — from €49

Set up monitoring → · Guides for Airbnb, Vinted, Amazon & more →

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a fake Trustpilot review removed?

Often yes, if it breaches Trustpilot's guidelines, for example because the reviewer has no genuine experience with your business. Flag it with a precise reason and evidence. Before you flag, capture the review, because it may be hidden or edited during the process.

Is a screenshot of a Trustpilot review enough evidence?

It is better than nothing, but a screenshot is easy to edit and does not prove its source or date. A forensic capture with hashes and a qualified timestamp is much harder to challenge. Courts assess evidence freely, so no format is automatically accepted.

Can I find out who wrote an anonymous Trustpilot review?

Not by yourself, and you should not try to identify people by hacking, fake accounts or similar methods. In serious cases, a court or the police can order the platform to disclose data. Your captures of the review and profile are what makes such a request possible.

What if a review is harsh but true?

Honest negative reviews based on a real experience are generally lawful and will stay online. The best response is a calm, factual public reply. Evidence matters here too: capture the review and your reply in case the text is later changed into false claims.

A company wants me to delete my Trustpilot review. What should I do?

Do not delete or edit it in panic. Capture your review, keep your order documents and the company's letters, and ask a consumer organisation or lawyer whether the demand is justified. Describing your own experience truthfully is generally protected.

Where do I report a fake review if Trustpilot does nothing?

Use Trustpilot's internal complaint route first. For unlawful content you can send a legal notice, and in serious cases take legal action against the author. Suspected systematic fake reviews by a business can also be reported to consumer protection authorities.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Defamation and unfair-competition rules differ between countries, so talk to a lawyer about your specific case.

Trustpilot fake reviews: how to secure the evidence