A Sobering Look at Fake Online Reviews
Summary: KrebsOnSecurity reports that the network of fake rehab listings and reviews it exposed in 2016 has resurfaced, with Craigslist ads posted from March 2018 recruiting 'social media assistant' applicants to create Google for Business listings for generic-sounding addiction centers at $25-$35 each. Historic WHOIS records link seorehabs[dot]com to John Harvey and TopSeek Inc., the same operation behind the earlier scheme, which security expert Bryan Seely says funnels calls to a few switchboards that sell leads to treatment facilities for $50-$100 per call.
Bottom line: Seely estimates a single lead can be worth $5,000 to $10,000 to a facility that bills a well-insured patient, which is the margin that keeps a crowdsourced network of phantom listings and five-star reviews in business.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
- Data Breaches
- Related
- TSMC employee data breach linked to cloud provider Cyber Risks · Nov 15, 2026Data Breach at La Poste Subsidiary Maileva Affects 22 Million People in France Cyber Risks · Nov 15, 2026City of Osaka warns of data breach impacting 1 million as Japan reels from dozens of cyber incidents Cyber Risks · Nov 13, 2026