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While Google was once a simple search engine for websites. It has now evolved to become the place to search for real-life businesses too. Businesses operating offline in the current day need to have an online presence on Google’s platforms. For many, it is the primary way to discover and contact businesses. The importance of Google in today’s world has given rise to Google Maps scams.
Scammers are known to abuse every platform and even platforms operated by a tech giant like Google are not immune. Google Search and Maps allow real people to connect with real businesses through the virtual world. However, the internet provides a layer of anonymity that attracts scammers.
Scammers exploit loopholes in Google’s Search and Maps platforms to direct users away from real business and into their trap. In this article, we will cover some of the most common Google Maps scams and share tips to avoid them.
Google Maps Scam #1: Fake Reviews
One of the most important features on Google Maps is the ability to read and write reviews. Reviews have a huge influence on how users perceive a business. Therefore, scammers and shady businesses often manipulate them to appear credible. Popular freelancing platforms are full of people from countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh who will write fake reviews for businesses across the world they have never interacted with.
Google’s sophisticated machine learning systems help mitigate fake reviews, however, they are far from foolproof. The fake review industry is booming: UK consumer protection organisation Which? found in an investigation that just a single broker had created nearly 16,000 reviews for more than 550 customers around the world on major platforms such as Facebook, Google and Trustpilot. The economic impact of fake reviews was $152 billion in 2020, according to a report from the World Economic Forum, which also found that 4% of all online reviews are fake.
Google Maps Scam #2: Fake Listings
Scammers fake not just reviews but entire listings too. They may set up listings for non-existent businesses or impersonate real businesses to dupe users into calling them. Google stopped 20 million attempts to create fake business profiles in 2022.
Several cases of alcohol delivery scams have emerged from India where fraudsters create fake listings of real shops to trick people into sending them money using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Users discover fake listings for alcohol stores on Google, only to end up calling the scammers who take their money without delivering the goods. Public warnings have also been issued regarding fake listings for hotels at pilgrimage destinations.
Google initiated a lawsuit in 2023 against an alleged scammer for running an elaborate scheme to flood their platforms with fake businesses and reviews. The defendants allegedly created over 350 fake business profiles that received at least 14,000 fake reviews. These listings were advertised for rent and sale on Facebook pages. In one example, one of the defendants Ethan Hu allegedly offered access to a fake plumbing listing in Monterey, California for $1,000.
Google Maps Scam #3: Phishing
Instead of creating new listings, scammers can also hijack real listings by using phishing attacks targeted at business owners or people who manage listings for businesses. Business owners have reported receiving emails from Google stating that someone is trying to claim ownership of their Google Business Profile.
Though the emails are real and arrive from a genuine Google email address, the requests are fraudulent. The listing owner may end up unknowingly providing access to a scammer who can then take over the entire listing and use it for fraudulent activities.
Google Maps Scam #4: Paid Listings
This is another kind of Google Maps scam targeting business owners. Listing a business on Google is completely free. However, some fraudsters call up business owners pretending to be Google representatives and demand money to keep the business listed on Google. If the target refuses to pay, they falsely threaten to delist the business. The scammers may even flood the listing with fake negative reviews to extort them.
The problem is so serious that Google announced in 2022 that it has filed a lawsuit against a company called “G Verifier”. The owners were allegedly impersonating Google through telemarketing calls and manipulating reviews of Business Profiles on Google Search and Maps.
“They also created websites advertising the purchase of fake reviews, both positive and negative, to manipulate reviews of Business Profiles on Google Search and Maps. This practice exploits entrepreneurs and small businesses – and it violates our policies on deceptive content,” Google lawyer Jon Vermandel and Technical Program Manager Ian Williams said in a blog post.
How to Avoid Google Maps Scams
A little bit of mindfulness can go a long way in avoiding Google Maps scams. Keep the following points in mind:
- Cross-check contact information: Never blindly trust the contact information on Google Maps. Always verify against another source such as the official website to know if the contact details are genuine.
- Check reviews carefully: Whether positive or negative, any review can be fake. Read the reviews carefully and check the profiles of the people writing them. This will help you know whether the reviews are genuine or illegitimate.
- Avoid advance payments: If you make a purchase with a business through a number found on Google search, insist on making the payment when the goods are delivered. This will protect you from sending money to impersonators.
- Ignore profile access requests: Random requests to claim your Google Business Profile can be safely ignored. Never grant access unless you are completely sure it is the right email address.
- Never pay for a listing: There is no charge for listing a business on Google and can be done by anyone. If someone threatens to de-list your business from Google unless you pay them, you can be sure they are trying to scam you.
