I used to rent a commercial space for my business and the other unit had a man that never paid rent and was living in his unit.
He knew my name, company name, and we had the same address but different units.
He posted somewhere selling equipment that I do sell (medical equipment) but he scams multiple people. He used a fake name and judging his mail he had many aliases.
People have posted on a popular medical forum about my business and even included my address in it but using his alias.
I commented on their post and told them the situation but when you google my business and reviews its still the top hit.
I have good reviews on my Google listing and have been encouraging customers to leave a review but the whole forum which has multiple victims Comme ting the same thing is bothering me.
I contacted the site and they said it’s those people opinion and they can post whatever.
I thought about contacting BBB because the forum is registered or filing a police report for the guy impersonating my business or hiring a lawyer.
If anyone has gone through something si.ilar or has any advice I would appreciate it. I have no idea what my next step should be.
Police report + civil lawsuit against the dude, not the website. Make sure they can collect enough evidence so the prosecutor thinks it’s a slam dunk and actually pursues it in criminal court. After the case is over the website may have a better reason to take action, but they can still do what they want. Maybe some publicity about the case if he ends up in jail could rebuild trust in your company. I wouldn’t hold much hope in collecting damages from him no matter the outcome of the civil suit though, but you do have a strong case for a significant sum based on both lost sales and reputation damage.
That was my thought. It’s tough because he was essentially a conman and used so many names so not sure how to find him or what his name is. I’m not sure I even have his real name. I have posted on the forum apologizing for their experiences and explaining what happened and making it clear I do not sell on forums, only through my official website.
Post the same on your own website as well.
Sorry to hear about this. The best you can do now is change business name, for starters and perhaps location. When a brand is ruined like this it’s hard to switch it around. On your website show a warning.
Next time around arrange online sales only via your website, with secure login and secure online payments. Message me for advice on setting that up if you like.
I hate to agree with this, but OP is probably screwed. The idea that anyone can correct this or get the conman to stop is unrealistic and / or a massive time suck. Cut your losses and switch up your marketing / branding. Make absolute sure there this guy doesn’t have access to your updated information.