Google claims it discovered hundreds of bogus listings on Google Maps, including for phony companies, and has filed a lawsuit against the suspected fraudsters.
The complaint, filed on Wednesday, says that a guy operating inside a larger network generated and sold bogus company pages on Google Maps.
An early report came from a Texas firm that discovered an unauthorized locksmith impersonating them on Google Maps. That was just the tip of the iceberg.
According to Google, the accusation prompted an inquiry, which resulted in the discovery and removal of over 10,000 fraudulent entries. The frauds varied from completely fraudulent organizations to real accounts that had been hacked or hijacked.
“Once we’re alerted to the actual fraud, we take extreme efforts to identify similar fraudulent listings,” Halimah DeLaine Prado, Google’s general counsel, said on “CBS Mornings Plus” Wednesday.
Google discovered that many of the scammers were focused in what they term “duress verticals” – services that consumers need in urgent or stressful circumstances, such as locksmiths or towing businesses.
“Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated,” DeLaine Prado said.
Google’s analysis also revealed that the suspected fraudsters are not operating alone. They interact with agents all around the globe and use social media to expand their reach. An example in the case shows an accused fraudster posting in various Facebook groups to promote “5 star reviews” that may avoid Google’s standards.
How the alleged scammers operate
DeLaine Prado identified many separate strategies employed by Google Maps fraudsters.
First, the bait and switch. This occurs when a person seeks for a local service but instead of contacting a licensed professional, they fall for a fraudulent listing.
Other times, people phone a legitimate organization, but the call is intercepted and routed via a “lead generation service,” which forwards it to the fraudsters.
In either case, the customer is connected to an entirely different firm than the one they intended to contact.
Then the fraudulent service comes, sometimes demanding a substantially larger amount than the initial quotation. Google claims that since the fraud targets individuals in “duress verticals,” the client is often in a vulnerable position, which these unscrupulous actors exploit.
How to protect yourself
As usual, if anything feels strange, stop what you’re doing and investigate the company’s validity.
“Pause, take a moment,” DeLaine Prado said. She advised visitors to double-check the company’s URL and phone number to ensure they match the provided information.
Another red flag to beware of is if the company asks for more information than necessary, like your social security number just to join a mailing list.
DeLaine Prado also warned consumers to be on alert if they’re being asked to pay for services in an unconventional way like paying through gift cards or a wire transfer.
How Google says it’s protecting users
Fake business listings are illegal on Google Maps, and the firm claims to utilize a variety of technologies, including automatic programming and analysts, to detect fraud on its platform.
“Online business profiles are incredibly valuable to businesses, as well as consumers,” said DeLaine Prado, a consultant. “Small and medium businesses use those listings for ‘word of mouth,’ discoverability.”
But it’s not just listings. Google’s lawsuit also outlines how the network of alleged scammers sold fraudulent positive reviews to businesses as a way to suppress real, bad reviews on the platform.
“Consumers use the reviews under those listings to actually make decisions based on what service to use or not to use,” DeLaine Prado said. “A fake profile and a fake review undermines the trust that you have in that ecosystem.”
This lawsuit is not Google’s first swipe at scammers. The company told CBS News it removed or blocked about 12 million fake business profiles in 2023, about a million more than in the year prior.
Google told CBS News it plans to donate any damages it wins in this case to organizations working to fight scams.