"They are making negative 'reviews' of businesses"/ Hita: Over 10 thousand accounts are being verified, economic interests are being violated

2026-07-09 13:45:00, Aktualitet CNA

"They are making negative 'reviews' of businesses"/ Hita:

The Director General of the State Police, Skënder Hita, held a press conference today where he stated that the authorities had indications of the existence of a network of accounts that have made negative assessments of hotels, restaurants and various businesses.

Hita announced that over 10,000 accounts are being verified, while adding that cases have been identified where the same account has made negative reviews on the pages of several different businesses.

The Head of the State Police has announced that this issue will be treated as a priority because it is damaging not only the interests of the affected businesses, but also fair competition, consumer trust and the perception of Albania as a safe destination.

Excerpt from Hita's statement:

I am here to make public a serious concern, which is related to a suspected coordinated activity in cyberspace. This activity, if confirmed by the investigations, risks damaging not only certain businesses, but also the tourism sector and the image of Albania as a safe and welcoming country. Over the past few days, our structures for the fight against cybercrime have identified a suspected coordinated activity on online platforms, which consists of the massive publication of negative reviews and comments against hotels, restaurants and other entities operating in the tourism sector in Albania.

From the initial verification actions, the management of reports and the analysis of the data obtained up to this stage, there are indications of the existence of a network of accounts that have operated in a synchronized manner on international platforms for rating hotels, restaurants, resorts and tourist destinations. Within a short period of time, these accounts are suspected of having published mass negative comments and ratings, with the aim of creating a false perception and artificially damaging the online reputation of Albanian businesses.

The initial analysis results in over 10,000 accounts on social networks with suspicious activity patterns, which are currently subject to verification by specialized structures of the State Police. Specifically, a significant part of the accounts are suspected to have been newly created and used in the function of this activity, but there are also accounts with accurate profiles, which have been identified by us and investigative actions are ongoing. Cases have been identified where the same account has published, within a very short time, negative reviews for businesses in various cities, including Tirana, Durrës, Vlora, Saranda, Elbasan, Shkodra and Korça.

The timing, similarity of content and the manner of distribution of the activity constitute key indicators that are being analyzed by the investigative group to determine whether we are dealing with an organized activity. Such activity, if proven to be intentional, not only harms the interests of the affected businesses, but also affects fair competition, consumer confidence and the perception of Albania as a tourist destination.

Tourism is a strategic sector of the national economy and an important asset of our country's international image. Any organized attempt to manipulate public perception, to harm Albanian businesses or to violate the country's economic interest will be treated with maximum priority by the State Police.

In this context, I have ordered specialized structures, especially those of the Cybercrime Investigation, to continue with high intensity procedural actions to identify the perpetrators and persons behind this activity, trace the technical infrastructure used, analyze the connections between accounts, identify the method of organization, secure and administer digital evidence, as well as cooperate with online platforms and international partners in accordance with the legislation in force.

The procedural materials will be referred to the Prosecution body, as from the administered data there are suspicions of elements of criminal offenses in the field of computer crimes, as well as damage to economic interests and reputation. I want to make it clear that any person who will be found involved in this illegal activity, regardless of their location, will face the force of the law.

On behalf of the State Police, I call on the administrators of hotels, restaurants and other tourist entities who have observed similar cases to file a report with our Cybercrime Investigation structures and to preserve any electronic evidence that may serve the investigation . /CNA