Google Maps is tackling fake business reviews

Businesses are trying to game Google Maps with fake reviews and Google has had enough.

Google has started restricting profiles of businesses that are found to have hosted fake reviews. On its support website, Google laid out what exactly can happen to such businesses. Some of the possible punishments include, but are apparently not limited to, the following:

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

• Businesses won't be able to receive new reviews for a set period of time

• Existing reviews will be unpublished for a period of time

• Business profiles will display a warning that they have hosted fake reviews in the past

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Google started rolling this out initially in the UK earlier this year, but the policy is supposedly global now, per The Verge. That said, I haven't personally seen any warnings like this, so I can't guarantee if they're appearing in the U.S. yet.

SEE ALSO: Google launches new gaming world for kids on Roblox

It's no surprise that businesses would try to exploit the reviews system on Google Maps, given that the app is incredibly popular and one of the most common use cases is to find businesses in a user's area. However, fake reviews could erode trust in the system, so it's probably smart for Google to take increased steps against them.