In business competition, some companies may adopt unethical or even illegal online strategies to deliberately damage the reputation of their opponents. The following are common malicious methods and their potential risks： --- ### **1. False comments and manipulation of public opinion** -**Navy brush bad reviews**: Hire online navy to post negative reviews in bulk on e-commerce platforms (such as Amazon, Taobao), social media, or third-party evaluation websites (such as Yelp) to reduce opponents' ratings. -**Impersonate customers and falsify evidence**: Create the illusion of “quality problems” by falsifying product defect pictures, videos, or chat records. -**Malicious comparison content**: Publish comparative reviews that distort data, exaggerate opponents' shortcomings, and even fabricate data. --- ### **2. Use SEO/SEM to spread negative information** -**Black Hat SEO**: Create a large number of negative content containing the opponent's brand name (such as “XX brand fraud”), and make it occupy the forefront of search results through spam links or keyword stuffing. -**Negative advertising**: Purchase adverts for rival brand words in search engines or social media to direct users to offensive content pages. --- ### **3. Social media and platform abuse** -**Spread of rumors**: Spread false information (such as “product carcinogenicity” and “service fraud”) on Twitter, Weibo and other platforms to create a crisis of public opinion. -**Malicious complaint report**: Abuse of platform rules and initiate a large number of false complaints against the opponent's store or account, resulting in it being restricted, banned or removed from the shelves. -**Fake customer service account**: Impersonate the opponent's customer service to post misleading replies to intensify customer conflicts. --- ### **4. Technical attacks and data manipulation** -**DDoS attack**: Attack the opponent's website or server, causing service paralysis and causing user dissatisfaction. -**Tampering with the content of the page**: Planting false announcements or malicious code on the opponent's official website through hacking to destroy the user experience. -**Fake data reports**: Publish false market research or "customer satisfaction rankings" to belittle the status of opponents. --- ### **5. Fishing and inducing behavior** -**Phishing emails/text messages**: Pretending to be a rival brand to send fraudulent information (such as “product recall notice”) to create panic. -**Paid bad review activities**: Induce users to post bad reviews through cashback, coupons, etc., and even provide “bad review templates”. --- ### **6. Other hidden means** -**Malicious return and abuse policy**: Maliciously return or falsely claim quality problems after purchasing an opponent's product in bulk, consuming its after-sales resources. -**False legal threats**: Sending threatening emails to rival customers in the name of ”intellectual property infringement", etc., to create a crisis of trust. --- ###**Risks and consequences** -**Legal risks**: It may constitute commercial libel, unfair competition, infringement of goodwill and other crimes, and face high compensation or criminal penalties. -**Platform sanctions**: After being reported, it may be permanently banned by e-commerce platforms or social media. -**Reverse phage effect**: Once exposed, the attacker's own reputation will be severely damaged. --- ###**Defense suggestion** -**Monitor public opinion**: Use tools (such as Google Alerts, social media monitoring software) to track brand-related discussions in real time. -**Legal rights protection**: Collect evidence and prosecute malicious content, and require the platform to delete false information. -**Transparent communication**: Take the initiative to clarify rumors and release evidence (such as quality inspection reports) through official channels. -**Technical protection**: Strengthen network security to prevent DDoS attacks and content tampering. Enterprises should focus on improving their competitiveness and avoid falling into a vicious circle. Although short-term malicious attacks may be effective, they will destroy the market ecology in the long run and ultimately harm the interests of all participants.