Singaporean electrical appliance retailer Gain City is the latest business to be targeted by a suspected extortion scheme involving Google Business Profile reviews. Over the past two weeks, the company’s showrooms have been flooded with a flurry of 1-star reviews lacking any descriptive feedback, according to reports from The Straits Times.
Gain City spokeswoman Candy Cao confirmed that the suspicious activity began in early April. Shortly after the influx of negative ratings, employees began receiving unsolicited WhatsApp messages from unknown individuals claiming they could remove the reviews for a fee. Screenshots provided by the retailer show these messages were sent to public contact numbers listed on their Google profiles.
The impact has been measurable, with ratings at several locations, including Sungei Kadut and Marina Square, dipping from a perfect 5.0 to 4.9. Gain City management has since filed a police report regarding the matter.
This incident mirrors a similar case from November 2025 involving the fine-dining establishment Restaurant Ibid, which was also targeted by generic, textless 1-star reviews as part of a demand for payment. In response to these patterns, a Google spokesperson reiterated that the platform’s policies strictly prohibit reviews not based on authentic experiences and that the company takes action to remove policy-violating content when identified.