Reading the promotional tells
Real employee reviews don't include competitor product names in the pros section of the wrong company's page. Three reviews did exactly that, all within ten days of a competitor's funding announcement.
Account analysis showed reviewers who had also reviewed the competitor positively under the same usernames. Glassdoor's conflict-of-interest policies cover material connections — we framed it as astroturfing, not opinion.
Building the competitor connection
We documented the cross-review pattern, timing correlation with the funding news cycle, and identical phrasing across two accounts. No smoking gun email — rarely have that — but circumstantial stacks work when they're tight.
Glassdoor removed all three on second escalation. First pass denied one review; we resubmitted with additional account-link evidence.
Preventing repeat attacks
We set keyword monitoring for the competitor's product name across new Glassdoor submissions. A fourth attempt appeared two months later and was disputed within 48 hours before it aged into ranking weight.
Competitor attacks on Glassdoor are underreported because companies don't want to admit they're happening. Our Glassdoor Review Removal team treats them as standard engagement — no judgment, just evidence.