09/15/2026
Public Announcement Draft
To our valued customers, neighbors, and North Georgia community,
We are reaching out today with full transparency about a serious situation currently impacting our Google Business profile. Our business has recently become the target of an aggressive online review extortion scheme run by fraudulent bad actors.
These individuals gained access to multiple fake profiles and contacted us demanding payment. Their ultimatum was clear: pay them money, or they would launch a coordinated attack to flood our listing with dishonest, one-star reviews to tank our rating and hurt our livelihood.
We refused to pay. We do not give in to blackmail, nor will we ever pay criminals to protect the honest reputation we work so hard to build every single day.
Unfortunately, because we refused to comply with their extortion demands, these scammers have begun carrying out their threats. You may notice an influx of recent 1-star reviews appearing on our Google listing. These ratings are coming from automated or bad-faith accounts that have never hired us, never spoken with our crew, and never stepped foot on any job site with us. While we have always taken legitimate customer feedback to heart—learning and improving anytime something falls short—this current wave is a deliberate, malicious attack designed solely to sabotage a local business.
We have built this tree service from the ground up through long hours, dangerous work, and honest relationships with homeowners and commercial clients across our mountains. We are only here because of the trust, loyalty, and support you have shown us over the years, and we refuse to let scam artists tear that down.
How You Can Help Us Fight Back:
Flag and Report the Fraud: If you visit our Google Business page and see sudden 1-star reviews with no explanation, generic complaints, or names you know aren't local, please click the three dots next to the review, select "Report review," and choose "Spam and fake content" or "Conflict of interest." High community reporting triggers Google’s automated fraud detection.
Share Your Real Experience: If we have removed hazardous trees, cleared land, or trimmed canopies on your property, leaving an authentic review with a few details or photos of the work makes a world of difference. Real feedback from real neighbors is the strongest defense against fake smear campaigns.
Spread the Word: Simply being aware of the situation and letting neighbors know what’s going on helps keep our community protected from these predatory tactics.
We have gathered our documentation, emails, and screenshots of the extortion demands and are working through Google’s official business fraud escalations.
Thank you for standing in our corner, believing in our work, and helping us protect local, hard-working small business. We appreciate every single one of you more than words can say.
