How to report a fake business on Google Maps

Last up to date on: September 2, 2024

When it comes to getting discovered on-line, Google Maps can show to be an much more useful software than Google itself. It’s a manner for each locals and guests in your space to discover you primarily based on easy search phrases (most individuals have most likely used Google Maps to discover the best-rated restaurant in a new city). To have a place on Google Maps, you’ll want a Google Business listing. It’s simple to arrange, and it’s a shut contender with social media as one of many prime methods folks discover out about new native companies.

That’s as a result of when somebody searches for a business or service of their space (e.g. espresso store or pizza restaurant), Google will prioritize companies that seem on Google Maps. So in case your business ranks effectively on the platform, it’s going to proceed to entice extra guests.

Unfortunately, scammers and cybercriminals have caught on to the advantages of Google Business listings in Google Maps, and so they’re trying to exploit customers by itemizing fake business profiles. If profitable, these fake accounts may trick customers into sharing private info or sending them cash for broken, fake, or non-existent merchandise.

In this publish, we’ll focus on:

The various kinds of scams and model infringements associated to Google Business and Google Maps listings
How you possibly can defend your business from these assaults
How to report and take down fake Google Maps listings impersonating your model.

How to defend your native business from Google Maps impersonation

Google is actively working to remove fake business profiles and scammers from the platform. Yet, scammers can merely create new fake profiles to proceed impersonating your business, making it a endless battle.

So, it’s essential for native companies to keep proactive in defending their very own on-line presence on Google Maps. Here is what you are able to do:

1. Verify your Google Maps itemizing

Having your Google Maps itemizing verified might help your clients, purchasers, and prospects determine your reputable itemizing from fake ones. Google prioritizes verified listings to rank larger, so there’s no purpose not to get your itemizing verified.

You can refer to Google’s help page for Google Business Verification on varied methods to confirm your Google Business itemizing. You can select the precise methodology for you, relying on your business sort and different elements. However, usually it’s going to contain Google sending a postcard to your business’s bodily tackle containing a 5-digit code that you need to use to confirm your itemizing.

2. Have a robust and distinctive Google Business profile

Once your itemizing is verified, the subsequent step you need to take is to optimize your Google Business profile to guarantee robust and distinctive branding.

Focus on offering correct, full, and distinctive info in order that your clients can simply differentiate your reputable itemizing from fake ones, and you are able to do this by:

Including well-taken images (ideally taken out of your premises so Google can hint its location metadata for rating functions.)
Keeping your info up-to-date, together with business hours throughout holidays and particular events.
Including a URL to your web site and social profiles so guests can simply go to your web site and social media to confirm your itemizing’s legitimacy.
Getting extra (constructive) real evaluations out of your clients. Encourage present and new clients to go away evaluations on your Google Maps itemizing.

3. Establish a real-time monitoring system

Despite all of your arduous work to register and defend your IPs, there’ll at all times be malicious events wanting to exploit your model in a single type or one other.

It’s finest to set up an automatic monitoring system to proactively defend your native business from infringements and impersonations, and a Brand Protection Solution like Red Points’ might help you to obtain this function and defend your model from counterfeit, copyright infringements, and different types of model abuse.

Red Points will monitor not solely Google Maps and Google Search for impersonation makes an attempt in opposition to your model but additionally the entire net and social networks.

Red Points may even mechanically file a request for a takedown of fake Google Maps listings, illegal websites, and fake social media profiles impersonating your model, permitting you to focus your time and assets on really rising your business as a substitute of coping with these safety points.

How to report and take down a fake Google Maps itemizing

You can report any fake business on Google Maps by way of Google’s Business Redressal Complaint Form here. Simply observe the on-screen directions and add any related proof.

Alternatively, you possibly can report any itemizing on Google Maps by clicking or tapping on the “Suggest an Edit” button and following these steps:

Select “Remove this place” to counsel the removing of this itemizing. You’ll want to register to your Google account earlier than you may make options.

Provide a purpose for the removing. Select “Spam, fake, or offensive” to inform Google that this itemizing is a fake itemizing impersonating one other model (you are able to do this even when the model it’s impersonating shouldn’t be your model.)

Add a picture of the placement if doable, as Google will use this as proof to confirm the business doesn’t exist or is fake.
Select “Send”.

Google could get again to you by way of e-mail to reply to your suggestion, however it might take a while earlier than Google will course of your request. If you’ve supplied sufficient proof for the business impersonation, Google will take down the fake itemizing fairly quickly.

How to spot a fake Google Maps itemizing

Again, whereas Google is at all times energetic in monitoring fake business listings and rip-off makes an attempt on Google Maps, there’s nothing stopping these scammers from posting one other itemizing after their fake itemizing was eliminated.

Meaning, that as customers, you also needs to find out how to defend your self from these rip-off makes an attempt by figuring out them. Here are some purple flags that counsel a Google Maps itemizing could also be a fake:

1. The itemizing identify is overly optimized for website positioning

These scammers merely don’t look after good branding practices and are usually solely centered on attracting potential victims. Thus, lots of them use keyword-stuffed business itemizing names slightly than precise business names like:

Phone restore + City identify
City identify + Rodent Expert
Affordable + business sort
The finest + business sort

And so on.

Of course, there’s the likelihood that that is their precise business identify, but it surely’s extremely unlikely.

2. They reply the cellphone mentioning a totally different business identify

These scammers usually use the identical cellphone quantity for a number of fake listings, and so they could mistakenly reply the cellphone with a totally different business identify. This is a clear purple flag try to be conscious of.

It’s additionally a good thought to Google the listed cellphone quantity. If it appeared in a number of listings and/or in several areas, it’s a clear signal of rip-off listings.

3. The business tackle doesn’t exist

If the listed business is positioned pretty close by, you need to use Google Maps to really drive to the tackle and test whether or not there’s an workplace/retailer on the listed tackle. It’s widespread for scammers to use fake addresses on their fake listings, so don’t be shocked should you discover deserted buildings, residential buildings, and even completely totally different companies within the location.

4. Very few to no buyer evaluations on the itemizing

Another clear signal of a fake itemizing is when the itemizing has only a few or no evaluations in any respect. Especially test if the evaluations are coming from fake customers.

Google Business rip-off name

While in a roundabout way associated to fake Google Maps/Google Business itemizing scams, there may be one other outstanding sort of rip-off affecting many native companies with Google Maps listings or those that haven’t claimed their Google Business itemizing: the Google Business name rip-off.

What is it?

In the sort of rip-off, a fraudster calls a native business (or people promoting their merchandise/companies domestically), claiming to work with or for Google. The malicious name will both:

Attempt to trick the recipient into divulging their private info (phishing).
Sell fraudulent or non-existent companies from “Google.”
Request cost for advantages that Google offers free of charge.

In this part, we’ll focus on variations of this Google Business name rip-off to show you how to determine them, in addition to the mandatory steps you need to take must you fall sufferer to the sort of assault.

Will Google ever name you over Google Maps/Google Business itemizing?

Before we delve additional into the rip-off, allow us to first focus on the various kinds of situations by which Google could really offer you a reputable cellphone name:

1. Listing verification

If you’d like your Google Business/Maps itemizing to rank larger on native outcomes, you’ve gotten to make sure your listing is verified. Google presents a number of totally different choices to confirm your business itemizing, one in every of which is by way of cellphone verification.

A key factor to perceive about Google’s cellphone verification for Google Business itemizing is that it should be initiated with the itemizing proprietor’s (that’s, your) consent. The cellphone name will likely be made virtually instantly after your request, so you need to know precisely when to anticipate the decision.

Also, throughout this cellphone verification name, Google will not ask for any info, a lot much less any delicate info, and so they’ll go instantly into supplying you with a 5-digit distinctive verification code for finishing the verification immediate on your display screen. Meaning, that if the cellphone name asks in your info and if it’s not initiated by you by way of your Google Business dashboard, it’s positively not from Google.

2. Customer assist

Google could offer you a name after you’ve submitted a buyer assist ticket or an error report. So, once more, you need to anticipate the decision, and you need to know precisely what the decision goes to be about.

In the sort of name, usually, you’ll be talking instantly with Google’s technical assist. They could ask in your info in reference to your submitted ticket or error report, however they’ll by no means ask for cost of any sort.

3. Information verification

If you’ve already acquired a claimed and/or verified Google Business/Google Maps itemizing, then Google could name you to carry out some fact-checking, for instance, verifying supply availability, business hours, or reservation quantity.

In the sort of name, Google will solely name the general public cellphone quantity listed in your Google Business itemizing. So, should you haven’t beforehand listed your quantity or if the caller referred to as one other quantity, then you possibly can instantly affirm that it’s a rip-off.

Identifying fake calls claiming to be from “Google”

The fraudster could name you claiming to work with or for Google (i.e., “Hello, I’m xx calling on behalf of Google,”) and should:

Threaten to take away your Google Business itemizing (should you’ve beforehand claimed and verified your itemizing) should you don’t pay for a non-existent charge (i.e. a renewal charge.)
Offering companies (usually one which appears too good to be true) that don’t exist.
Asking you to pay for companies that Google presents free of charge.
Offering “secret” companies like a enhance in search rankings or any variety of secret optimizations for a charge.

This is a non-exhaustive listing, and there are literally many different variations of Google Business rip-off calls carried out by fraudsters each single day. While figuring out all these strategies and ways is just about inconceivable, you possibly can search for the next purple flags to show you how to determine any rip-off try:

1. Unable to confirm Google worker identification

If you obtain a name claiming to be from Google or somebody on behalf of Google, ask the caller to confirm their identification.

If it’s a reputable Google worker, they received’t hesitate to offer you some type of verification, like an ID quantity or a verification quantity from a legitimate @Google.com e-mail. If they supply their full identify, you also needs to have the option to confirm their identification on LinkedIn or another social platform.

If they fail or refuse to confirm their identification, it’s extremely probably that the decision is a rip-off.

2. Selling companies over the cellphone

Google will by no means name you trying to promote companies over the cellphone, and Google in the mean time doesn’t contract with any third-party corporations or distributors.

Thus, any name claiming to be from Google that tries to promote you something is most certainly a rip-off name.

3. Asking for delicate/private info

Any official name from Google will by no means ask you to disclose any personally identifiable or delicate info like bank card quantity (particularly together with VCC,) password, verification code/OTP, and so on.

If you hear a request for delicate info over the cellphone name, the decision is most certainly a rip-off.

You’ve acquired a Google Business rip-off name: What to do

If you aren’t certain whether or not the decision is a rip-off or if it’s really from Google, you possibly can attempt contacting Google at 1-844-491-9665, out there from Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. EST. Alternatively, you possibly can contact Google by way of its official assist type here, or contact Google by way of its social media handles on varied platforms.

If you’ve recognized any of the purple flags above (or different indicators,) here’s what you are able to do:

Hang up: the most suitable choice is to merely cling up the decision to keep away from any rip-off makes an attempt.
Do not press something: a slightly widespread rip-off method is to have an automatic name that tells you to press a key to be taken off this name listing, however it’s going to really lead to extra calls. Again, it’s finest to merely cling up.
Report to Google: You can file a report to Google concerning the third-party rip-off name here. Make certain to present the caller’s contact info and the main points of their claims, and ahead any file, e-mail, or paperwork you’ve acquired from them (if relevant.)
Report to authority: if you’re positioned within the US, you possibly can report this rip-off name to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by calling 1-888-382-1222 or by way of the FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry website.

What’s subsequent

Above, we’ve mentioned how to protect your business from being impersonated on Google Maps and the way to report fake listings on Google Maps, to allow them to be eliminated. We have additionally mentioned Google Business rip-off name, a sort of rip-off focused at native companies with Google Maps/Google Business listings.

To defend your native business’s on-line presence sooner or later, particularly on Google Maps as scams proceed to evolve, you need to think about establishing a complete digital safety technique. This will defend varied types of your digital mental properties, together with model identify, web site, Google Maps itemizing, brand utilization, and so on.

With the significance of constructing and sustaining credibility in your native business, partnering with the precise Brand Protection Solution vendor that may assist defend your business identification is now a necessity.

Request a demo today, and learn how Red Points can take the stress of manually figuring out and reporting scammers off your shoulders. Our Brand Protection software frequently scans the web and social media, together with Google Maps, to discover and report anybody who could be infringing on your authorized rights as a model proprietor.

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