Google Business Listing Calls: Scam or Real?

Did you realize there were 55 million US residents were harmed by frauds made by phone in 2020, a rise by 30% from the previous year? This pertains to all scam calls, but Google is just one percent. However, the 30% increase is expected to increase between 2020 and 2021 and considering Google being such an integral element of your marketing strategy it is crucial to be able to discern the genuine from the fake.

Google-phone-scam

Thousands of Google My Business users have received calls from unknown individuals or entities that claim to work “with” or “for” Google trying to sell services or demand the payment of benefits that Google gives at no cost. In this article, we’ll to:

Dispel the lies of the latest Google My Business call scams.

Help you identify legitimate listing calls.

We will direct you to the appropriate Google My Business support resources.

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What Are Real Google My Business Listing Calls?

Before we discuss the latest Google My Business phone fraud we’ll look at the various scenarios where Google will actually call you.

1. Business Listing Phone Verification

Verifying your business’s presence is a must on Google isn’t easy sometimes but it’s necessary in order to improve your page to be ranked highly in local search results. Based on the kind of business you run it could or might not be eligible for Google’s phone verification procedure. Should it do, that’s one of the main reasons Google will call your company directly. The verification call will only be made with your permission which means you’ll know precisely when you can be expecting it. During the verification process, Google will not ask for any of your personal or business information. Instead, they’ll give you an individual code to complete the verification prompt displayed on your screen.

2. Non-Sales Tasks

Another reason Google might call your company directly is for fact-checking in order to provide a service to users of search engines. These calls are only used for non-sales reasons like confirming the business hours or reservations availability. It is also important to note that these calls are directed to businesses with an open phone number. If your GMB does not have a phone number, you can immediately flag Google tasks-related calls as a fraud and call back promptly.

3. Customer Service & Account Support

The third reason Google is likely to give your company a call is to address an account or customer service support issue. These calls are typically directed to an account on Google My Business, Google Ads as well as a Google Play account that you have recently filed an error ticket or report to. When you call these calls, you’ll speak directly with an official Google operator who will be identified as such prior to proceeding for authentication for verification purposes. They won’t ask for details about payment or provide any type of performance guarantee for business listings or Google Ads accounts.

It is important to remember that Google makes an amalgamation of automated calls as well as manual calls made by an operator. Therefore, take some time before ending the call.

What Is the Google My Business Call Scam?

There are plenty of unscrupulous individuals or “businesses” out there that attempt to swindle Google My Business listing owners by making phony calls. Below, we’ve provided the most frequent Google My Business call scam to be on the lookout for.

“Hello, I’m calling on behalf of Google.”

If you’ve ever received a phone calls that begin with this opening line, or the same variation, there’s a high chance that you’ve been the victim of the Google My Business scam. The scam is a result of shady third-party firms These calls are designed to persuade Google My Business listing owners to purchase services that are available for free or do not exist.

They claim that they are calling on behalf of or through Google The calls are crafted to earn the trust of anyone they’ve targeted, by making Google’s name known. Once they’ve got their foot on the ground the majority of them will give a boost to your the search results (which is something you can do yourself) or a variety of optimization services at cost.

The truth is that a lot of the services that these third-party firms are attempting to earn money from are already provided by Google Google My Business listings owners through Google at no cost.

Threatening to Remove Your Listing

Another scam that they often employ is to threaten to remove your business’s listing on Google Search and Map results in the event that you do not pay renewing the fee (which isn’t there).

How to Identify Fake Google Calls

There are a myriad of various variations of Google calls and scams, you don’t know what techniques will be employed when you next get targeted. However, below we’ve provided a few tips to help you recognize the scammers.

1. Google Employee Verification

One of the most effective methods to recognize one of the easiest ways to identify a Google My Business scam call is to ask the person calling to confirm their identity. Anyone who is who calls through Google would be willing to send you the verification email of one of their @google.com account. If they attempt to evade the question, or provide other type of verification, like a fake ID number, it is likely to be an extortion.

2. Google Never Asks for Personal Information

Another indicator that you’re dealing in fraudsters is when they request details about your personal information, such as the password you use, your verification number or financial details. Always trying to protect the privacy of their users, Google will never ask for this information, regardless of the reason why they’re asking for it. If you get a call asking for this or any other information is a scam, you’re in for a rip-off.

3. Google Will Not Attempt to Sell Services

As we mentioned earlier in this post, Google will never call you to offer services like accounts management and search engine enhancements or even the removal of negative reviews. Since Google doesn’t have any contract with third-party company, you can immediately block any caller who offers to offer you something as fraudulent.

What to Do if You Receive a Scam Call

It is possible to put a stop to scam calls or make additional steps to assist Google and other organizations take action against these fraudulent actions.

Don’t hit any key.

If the automated message asks the user to hit a certain key to remove yourself from the list of callers and then call back, it could cause more calls. It is best to simply hang up or allow the caller time to gather data and then file a complaint (see below for more details).).

Make the call known to Google.

Google knows about current fraud within its platform, specifically for Google reviews and calls that we’re discussing here. Google has its own complaint procedure accessible here. When you are there, make certain to mention:

How to Call the Real Google

We’ve got a fuller guide on the various ways to reach Google to promote your business however if you’re seeking a specific number to contact, use the following number:

GMB Contact Number: 1-844-491-9665

Operating hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m.-6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Be aware that you might have to wait a few minutes before you can get someone to answer the phone. Although Google does an excellent job handling the ad-hoc volume of calls they receive each day, hundreds of business owners as you are would like to speak to a real person.

Be Aware of Google Scam Calls

In an ideal world, the only calls you’d get from you Google My Business listing would be real customers expressing their curiosity. Unfortunately, that’s not the reality that we live in. Use these guidelines and steps to safeguard your business from fraudulent activities.