Review Blackmail & Extortion: When Threats Cross the Legal Line

Review blackmail — where someone threatens to post a negative review unless you provide a refund, free service, or cash payment — is an increasingly common problem for UK businesses. What many business owners don't realise is that this conduct is not just unethical but potentially criminal. This guide explains the law and the steps you can take to protect your business.

What Constitutes Review Blackmail?

Review blackmail occurs when a person makes a demand (for money, goods, services, or other benefit) backed by the threat of publishing a negative review. Common scenarios include:

• A customer demanding a full refund for a service they received, threatening a "devastating" review if you refuse
• A person who was never a customer threatening to post multiple fake reviews unless paid
• A former employee threatening to post damaging reviews on Glassdoor and Google unless given a severance payment
• A competitor's agent threatening reviews unless you withdraw from a market or contract
• Serial review extortionists who target multiple businesses

Criminal Law: Blackmail

Under section 21 of the Theft Act 1968, blackmail is an offence carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years' imprisonment. The offence is committed where a person:

1. Makes an unwarranted demand
2. With menaces (threats)
3. With a view to gain for themselves or loss to another

A demand is "unwarranted" unless the person believes they have reasonable grounds for making the demand and that the use of menaces is a proper means of reinforcing the demand. Threatening to post a false review to extort payment is clearly unwarranted.

Even where the review content would be true, the demand may still constitute blackmail if the threat is used to extort payment or benefit beyond what the person is legitimately entitled to.

Reporting to the Police

If you are the victim of review blackmail:

1. Preserve all evidence — screenshot messages, emails, social media communications, and voicemails. Do not delete anything.
2. Do not pay — paying encourages further demands and does not guarantee the reviews won't be posted anyway
3. Report to the police — contact your local police force or report online through Action Fraud. Blackmail is a serious offence that the police are obligated to investigate.
4. Seek legal advice — a solicitor can assist with the criminal reporting process and advise on parallel civil remedies

Civil Remedies

In addition to criminal prosecution, civil remedies are available:

• Injunction — a court order prohibiting the person from posting the threatened review
• Defamation claim — if the review is posted, a defamation claim can seek removal and damages
• Harassment — persistent threats can constitute harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, giving rise to both criminal and civil liability
• Quia timet injunction — where the threat has been made but the review has not yet been posted, you can apply for an injunction preventing publication in advance

What If the Review Has Already Been Posted?

If the person has already carried out their threat and posted the review:

• The fact that the review was posted as part of a blackmail scheme is powerful evidence of malice, which defeats the honest opinion defence
• Report the review to the platform with evidence of the blackmail attempt
• Pursue a defamation claim — the blackmail context will strengthen your case significantly
• The criminal and civil processes can run in parallel

Protecting Your Business

Preventive measures include:

• Train staff to recognise and report review threats — do not allow front-line staff to give in to demands
• Document all customer interactions where threats are made
• Have a clear policy for handling review disputes that escalates serious cases to management and legal advisers
• Consider retaining a solicitor for rapid response to review threats

Related Reading

Review Site Defamation Hub | Trustpilot Removal | Google Reviews Removal | Competitor Fake Reviews