I'm assuming this is something we've all considered around here and my advice is to be very careful. This has been common (if not standard procedure as claimed

I'm assuming this is something we've all considered around here and my advice is to be very careful. This has been common (if not standard procedure as claimed below) for PR firms for a few years now, but it won't be common for much longer. In July, Lifestyle Lift (cosmetic surgery outfit) got slapped with a $300,000 fine by the state of New York for having employees leave false-positive reviews online. The FTC has labeled this "astroturfing" and has made public announcements that they are very interested in the ease with which this practice is accomplished on large scales with new media and how that relates to their role regarding consumer protection. I'm the online marketing guy at an integrated marketing firm in Kansas City, and last week I warned a client off of false reviews in favor of more legitimate marketing efforts (compelling link-bait, usability investments, article marketing, PPC, etc...) just last week. I cited this case during that conversation. It's exciting to be in marketing, and the media industry in general, right now because all the rules are being re-written. It also means that you'd better stay up to date on the environment you're operating in. I'm not qualified to offer legal advice, but it seems to me that having an employee leave disingenuous reviews online isn't a far jump from having a PR firm under contract do it for you.