Nationwide CCW - Yelp Suspicious Reviews Activity

We were recently informed by several students that some of our Yelp reviews were flagged as “suspicious,” and we want to address this openly.

After speaking with Yelp and consulting industry professionals, we learned there are two common reasons this may occur:

1. Multiple reviews from the same IP address:We provide free Wi-Fi during our classes, and many students log in. When multiple reviews are later submitted from the same IP in a short period of time, Yelp’s system may automatically flag them as potentially fake. Yelp also mentioned they are generally cautious—and sometimes not very receptive—when a business receives a large number of positive reviews quickly. Our response to that is simple: we must be doing something right if so many students feel compelled to share their positive experience with us.

2. Newly created Yelp accounts:If a student who has never used Yelp before creates an account solely to leave a review, Yelp may also mark it as suspicious, even when the review is genuine.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. Yelp is a private platform with its own automated filters and moderation systems, and they ultimately decide which reviews are displayed.

We want to be transparent about this so our current and future students understand why some legitimate reviews may not appear publicly. To every student who has taken the time to leave us a review: you are our 5 stars, and we truly appreciate your support.

For everyone else, you know the nature of our profession and the agencies we are licensed, authorized, and trusted to train for. This work is taken very seriously, and both our instructors and facilities undergo extensive background checks and strict compliance requirements.