Almost sent $800 to a reseller with fake reviews

¡Almost sent $800 to a « company » called Hetzner! The website looks professional, reviews on their own site all 5 stars, but something felt wrong. I check the reviews: all posted same week, accounts with only one review, photos from other listings. ¡The server red flags everywhere!

I search more and find same « owner » photo on three other « companies »: Vultr, RackNerd, and one called HostHatch. All same template, all reviews fake, all prices too good. ¡I save my money!

But I worry others fall for this. How to report? I have screenshots of review network, same text with small changes. ¡Be careful with the resellers cheap!

Real Hetzner is at https://www.hetzner.com — don't get scammed.

1. Good catch on the fake review pattern
A) same-week posting is classic
B) single-review accounts = bot farm
2. I mapped similar network last year
1. Step one: archive everything
2. Step two: reverse image search on « owner » photos
I. Usually stock photos
Ii. Or stolen from LinkedIn
3. Step three: check WHOIS dates
A) all registered within 30 days = coordinated
3. For reporting:
A) your payment processor if you initiated
B) the hosting platform where reviews live
C) ICANN for fake registration details
4. Red flags checklist for others:
1. Price below 40% market rate
2. No physical address verification
3. Reviews mention « fast delivery » on servers
A) servers dont deliver in 2 hours
B) thats a VM resold as dedicated
5. Stay safe out there