Dr Payman Simoni complaints of the Fraudulent Reviews That Abuse the Web world Freedom of Speech

By Sarah Wilson

Dr Payman Simoni review fake ratings

Reviews, whether they be online or even by word of mouth are how many of us base our decisions when choosing what Doctor, Dentist or Plastic Surgeon we want for ourselves. But what patients need to know is with the open platform that is the Internet, not all of what you read may be true.

As of late, many Doctors are falling victim to extortion scams in which patients threaten to post negative feedback and comments about them and their practices on websites and forums. I spoke with famed Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Payman Simoni who has recently experienced this form of blackmail. He states, "One con artist requested $100,000 or she threatened to ruin my reputation online. Soon finding out we weren't the only victim of her scam (she had done this to a handful of other plastic surgeons) we were quick to turn her down, and in no time hundreds of negative posts against us were scattered throughout the web. This resulted in patients canceling procedures"

In addition, some websites are taking part of this deception themselves and requesting substantial amounts of money to remove the posts and bad reviews. At the forefront of these extortion schemes are sites like ripoffreport.com and pissedconsumer.com. "These websites invite negative comments and block positive ones to force plastic surgeons (among others) in to paying them kickbacks" states Dr Payman Simoni.

As we all know the Internet is not always the most trustworthy place to gain information. Doctors constantly express how they don't advise people to get medical advice from the web, and now even more so with this epidemic of online swindling.

Online reviews are great for figuring out what movie you want to see or what hotel would be best for your family, but when it comes to picking a Doctor the best way to go is to have a consultation and form your own opinion. Check out the before and after photos and get a general feel for the Doctor, their office, and staff etc. The online reviews are nothing more than a platform for schemes these days, unfortunately.