Finding your business attacked on ComplaintsBoard.com is frustrating enough. Discovering the platform is allegedly run by Russian operators using fake identities and stolen content makes it worse.
What sets ComplaintsBoard.com apart from other complaint sites is the opacity of its ownership, its history of content theft, and the difficulty of enforcement even when victims win court cases. Understanding who really operates this platform is essential before attempting removal.
The Russian Connection and Fake Identities
ComplaintsBoard.com claims to be headquartered at Darzauglu 1-303 in Riga, Latvia, but research reveals a different story. According to Sitejabber investigations, the site “is not headquartered in Riga, Latvia, as is claimed on its website. It’s actually registered and run by someone that lives in Moscow, Russia.”
The registered owner is Dzianis Beltyukov through a company called Mediolex Ltd., allegedly based in Latvia. However, research indicates Beltyukov is Russian, not Latvian. The site’s WHOIS history shows suspicious ownership changes designed to hide the real operator. The domain was originally registered in 2006 under the name “Elizabeth Arden”—yes, like the cosmetics company. Elizabeth Arden has denied any connection.
In 2009, the registration changed to “Mark Shultz” with a P.O. Box in Sunnyvale, California. In 2010, it moved to Latvia but kept the Mark Shultz name, then changed to “Business Networks Ltd.” The current registration lists Mediolex Ltd. with contact email editor.complaintsboard@gmail.com—a Gmail address, not a professional domain.
Adding to the confusion, ZoomInfo lists ComplaintsBoard.com’s headquarters as 4969 Kitsap Way, Bremerton, Washington. The site is hosted by Steadfast Networks in Chicago, Illinois, but operated from Russia or Latvia. This jurisdictional shell game is deliberate—making legal enforcement nearly impossible.
The contact phone number (+1 240 764 4863) routes to who-knows-where. Good luck getting responses from support@complaintsboard.com. Victims report emails disappear into a black hole.
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The Content Theft Business Model
ComplaintsBoard.com doesn’t just accept user complaints—it actively steals content from competitors. In 2008, Ripoff Report sued ComplaintsBoard.com for massive copyright infringement. Ripoff Report’s Ed Magedson documented how ComplaintsBoard “outright COPY AND STEAL the actual reports directly from ripoffreport.com, and post them on their own websites.”
ComplaintsBoard lost the lawsuit, had to pay damages, and was ordered to remove stolen content. But they didn’t stop. Shortly after, they started copying content again, having users manually paste Ripoff Report complaints to bypass detection. Multiple sources confirm ComplaintsBoard scrapes complaints from Ripoff Report, PissedConsumer, and other platforms, then publishes them as original content.
This means the “complaint” about your business on ComplaintsBoard.com might not even have originated there. It could be stolen from another site, making the actual complainer impossible to identify or contact. Your attempt to resolve the issue addresses a phantom.
How ComplaintsBoard.com Operates
Founded in 2004, ComplaintsBoard claims to have “resolved complaints since 2004” and helped “nearly 100,000 customers.” Their tagline presents them as consumer advocates. The reality is messier. Anyone can create an account and post complaints about any business or person. Email verification is sent but not required for the complaint to go live. Someone can submit with a completely fake email address, and the complaint still publishes.
The site claims to moderate content and reject complaints that are too short (under 350 characters), contain harassment, defamation, profanity, trolling, or spam. In practice, enforcement is inconsistent at best. Victims report obviously fake reviews from competitors remaining online despite evidence and complaints.
Unlike Ripoff Report’s Corporate Advocacy Program, ComplaintsBoard doesn’t openly sell removal services. Their FAQ states: “We do not remove complaints unless we receive an officially signed court order.” They also claim “reputation management companies” cannot remove content and that such claims are false.
Yet reputation management firms advertise guaranteed removal from ComplaintsBoard, claiming success in “hundreds of cases.” This contradiction suggests either the firms have methods ComplaintsBoard won’t publicly acknowledge, or they’re exploiting vulnerabilities in the platform.
Why Victims Can’t Enforce Court Orders
Several companies have won default judgments against ComplaintsBoard.com in court. The problem? They can’t enforce the judgments. The operator is in Russia or Latvia, beyond U.S. jurisdiction. Even with a court order declaring content defamatory and mandating removal, ComplaintsBoard simply ignores it. There’s no mechanism to force compliance.
This jurisdictional immunity is why the operator operates with such brazenness. In Sitejabber reviews, victims note that “the website owner makes it very clear that anyone can feel free to go ahead and [sue], and that he is not intimidated by legal threats.” He’s not intimidated because he knows U.S. courts can’t touch him.
One victim stated: “You can take the owner to court. He is an EU citizen and is bound by EU privacy and data laws.” While technically true, enforcing EU judgments against a Russian national claiming Latvian residency while possibly operating from Moscow creates a jurisdictional nightmare that costs far more than most businesses can afford.
The Fake Review Problem
Multiple victims report ComplaintsBoard posts fake reviews about businesses, then allegedly solicits payment for removal. One business owner wrote: “I received my first negative review on SiteJabber today…Weirdly, 10 minutes after responding I got an email from complaintsboard.com which I have never heard of before. Upon researching it, a lot of people link it to fake reviews and then this company charge you to have them removed.”
Another stated: “They stole my 5 star review from Trust Pilot and falsely claim poor customer service and quality when there is not one complaint besides the 5 star review which they logged as a complaint.”
The pattern is consistent: ComplaintsBoard copies positive reviews from legitimate platforms, rewrites them as complaints, then the business receives contact about “resolving” the issue. The platform claims they don’t charge for removal, yet victims report payment solicitations.
What Actually Works for Removal
Given these obstacles, here are approaches with documented success:
Court Order (Limited Effectiveness): ComplaintsBoard’s FAQ states they remove content only with “an officially signed court order.” While true in theory, enforcement is the problem. If you obtain a court order, submit it to support@complaintsboard.com with all case documentation. Don’t expect quick response or compliance. The value is using the court order for Google de-indexing, not actual removal from ComplaintsBoard.
Contact the Original Poster: If the complaint originated on ComplaintsBoard (not stolen from elsewhere), the original poster can mark it “resolved” or request editing. ComplaintsBoard states: “If your complaint was solved or you changed your opinion regarding the business…you can mark it as ‘resolved’ and add a comment stating that the problem has been settled.” Resolved complaints don’t affect business ratings but remain visible.
Identify the poster through subpoenas if necessary, then negotiate directly with them. This avoids dealing with unresponsive ComplaintsBoard administrators.
Respond Publicly as Company Representative: ComplaintsBoard allows businesses to claim profiles and respond to complaints. While responses don’t remove content, 88% of consumers prefer businesses that respond to all reviews. Claim your profile through support@complaintsboard.com from your official email. Provide factual, professional responses addressing specific claims. This mitigates damage even if content remains.
Report Stolen Content: If the complaint is copied from another site (Ripoff Report, PissedConsumer, etc.), document this with screenshots showing both sources. Submit DMCA takedown notices to ComplaintsBoard’s hosting provider (Steadfast Networks in Chicago) for copyright infringement. Include proof that the content is stolen intellectual property.
Google De-Indexing: Focus on removing ComplaintsBoard URLs from Google search results rather than the site itself. With a court order declaring content defamatory, submit removal requests to Google. Google honors valid court orders for de-indexing. This addresses the actual problem—visibility in searches—without requiring ComplaintsBoard cooperation.
European Right to Be Forgotten: For EU residents or businesses, submit Right to Be Forgotten requests to Google. EU privacy laws require Google to remove outdated or irrelevant personal information from search results. ComplaintsBoard’s stated Latvia location makes this particularly relevant, as they claim to operate under EU jurisdiction.
Aggressive SEO Suppression: When removal proves impossible, suppress ComplaintsBoard listings through comprehensive search engine optimization. Create and promote positive content across multiple high-authority platforms: optimize your website for your business name, build profiles on LinkedIn and industry directories, publish articles on authoritative sites, generate legitimate positive reviews on Google and Trustpilot, and create video content for YouTube.
This takes 3-6 months but effectively buries ComplaintsBoard in search results, minimizing its impact.
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What Not to Do
Don’t Pay for Removal Without Guarantees: While some reputation firms claim guaranteed removal, verify their track record. ComplaintsBoard states reputation management companies cannot remove content, yet some do. If you hire a firm, ensure they offer full refunds if unsuccessful and get everything in writing.
Don’t Threaten Legal Action Publicly: Threatening lawsuits in public responses makes you look weak and alerts ComplaintsBoard that you’re desperate. If pursuing legal action, do it quietly with an attorney.
Don’t Engage with Obviously Fake Profiles: Some negative comments come from fake accounts created to pile on. Responding to every anonymous attacker is exhausting and unproductive. Address legitimate concerns only.
Don’t Ignore the Platform Entirely: ComplaintsBoard ranks well in Google for business names. Ignoring damaging content allows it to define your online reputation. Even if you can’t remove it, you must address it through responses or suppression.
The Reality of Russian Complaint Sites
ComplaintsBoard.com represents a category of complaint sites allegedly operated from Russia using fake Western identities and addresses. Ed Magedson (Ripoff Report’s founder) calls this “reputation fraud” from Russian operators who “care only about making a quick ruble.” His documentation shows how these sites steal content, then extort businesses with removal offers.
The jurisdictional immunity these operators enjoy makes traditional legal remedies ineffective. They know U.S. courts can’t enforce judgments against Russian or Latvian entities. They deliberately use privacy-protected WHOIS records and multiple fake identities to avoid accountability.
Your options are limited but not hopeless. Focus on approaches that don’t require ComplaintsBoard cooperation: Google de-indexing, SEO suppression, and direct negotiation with original posters. Accept that complete removal from ComplaintsBoard’s servers may be impossible, but controlling your search results is achievable.
Professional Help for Complex Cases
ComplaintsBoard’s deliberately opaque ownership and jurisdictional immunity make this one of the toughest reputation management challenges. Professional firms bring experience with what actually works—which methods succeed despite ComplaintsBoard’s non-cooperation, how to leverage hosting provider complaints, whether court orders are worth pursuing, and efficient suppression strategies.
The opportunity cost of spending months fighting an unresponsive Russian-operated platform while your business suffers often exceeds professional help costs. Firms specializing in international reputation management understand the specific tactics for platforms operated from outside U.S. jurisdiction.
At Respect Network, we’ve successfully neutralized damaging ComplaintsBoard content for numerous clients through strategic suppression, Google de-indexing, and direct negotiation with original posters when identifiable. We understand the jurisdictional challenges these Russian-operated platforms create and know which approaches work despite their non-cooperation.
We’ve successfully removed content through methods ComplaintsBoard claims are impossible, and we provide full transparency about realistic timelines and outcomes. Don’t waste time with approaches that fail against Russian-operated platforms—contact Respect Network today for a confidential consultation about proven strategies for ComplaintsBoard removal and suppression.
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