Google will file lawsuits against scammers looking to sell Google Business profiles

by WarriorForum.com Administrator
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  • SEO
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Following a recent court case win against a Russian-based bot network, Google has announced a new legal proceeding against a group of scammers who have been attempting to manipulate business owners by calling them up and attempting to charge them to access Google My Business.

Google explains:

"Today we are filing a lawsuit against scammers who sought to defraud hundreds of small businesses by impersonating Google through telemarketing calls. 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."
According to Google, the scammers approach business owners and attempt to charge them for their Google Business Profiles, which you can (and should) access for free.

"A Business Profile is a tool that allows business owners to take charge of the way their business appears on Search and Maps, and it allows consumers to find their favorite (or, soon-to-be favorite) coffee shops, restaurants or hardware stores. It's a tool designed to empower people. However, some scammers have tried to abuse and profit from it through deceptive and predatory practices."
According to Google, in 2021 alone, it discovered and stopped over 12 million attempts by malicious actors to create phony Business Profiles, as well as nearly 8 million attempts to claim Business Profiles that did not belong to them.

This new legal push intends to set a precedence for similar actions, which could help Google prevent this type of fraud in the future. This is a crucial push, especially for less web-savvy business owners who realize they need to prioritize Google and SEO but are unaware that they can already get such tools for free.

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#business #file #google #lawsuits #profiles #scammers #sell
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