[julianlam]

You'd think so, but Google allows people to claim businesses without so much as a shred of proof.

Maybe they have their own heuristics, who knows. When my FIL started a sunflower farm, I wrote a nice review and google offered to have me claim the page.

[ThrowawayTestr]

I have also been offered to claim a business that I reviewed. There isn't even an option to say that you aren't the owner.

[MertsA]

Why on earth is that even a suggestion? If it's actually the owner leaving a review of their own business that seems like the kind of situation where at a minimum you wouldn't want to go out of your way to help them claim the listing. The cynic in me thinks this was probably a data driven decision and reflects the sad state of third party reviews and small businesses.