Yelpers beware: There is a Craigslist ad circulating that offers $25 for writing positive Yelp reviews of unspecified New York restaurants.
The ad, discovered by Eater, was posted in the writing/editing jobs section and seeks people with "established Yelp accounts with over 50 reviews" to write well-written, 5-star reviews for the establishments.
The ad goes on to say most of the restaurants have 4- or 5-star ratings, but a few "unfiltered 1's" from competitors or disgruntled ex-staff are lowering their overall ratings.
The price for your integrity is a $25 PayPal transfer per review, and another $25 if you cut and paste the same review onto other social media websites.
Attempts to cheat the system on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other review sites are nothing new. Last year, Eater wrote about a "reputation management" firm that offered to game Yelp reviews for $495.
And while Yelp argues that its filtering system is effective, controversy around the site continues. A Florida restaurant owner recently complained that he was plagued with negative reviews after refusing to buy ads on Yelp.
So far, the Craigslist post has yet to be removed. See it in full below (click to enlarge).
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