“If they catch you it’s over” is still not good enough. They expect that.
He only got caught because TripAdvisor got pissed off. The telecoms aren’t interested in investigating - they profit from it. The FCC isn’t interested - they are defunded.
The WORST possible downside is that he starts over tomorrow under a different name, and leaves TripAdvisor off his list of fake clients. Zero reason to quit.
