Scammers are a problem all over the globe. Whether they try to contact you via email, phone, or even in person, everyone is susceptible to scammers. They get smarter every time that their tactics no longer work. It’s frustrating for the everyday person as we don’t always have the know-how to tell what’s real and what’s fake.
One of the biggest scams is individuals who emulate other companies. For instance, a person may call you and say they are from your bank. Maybe they claim your account got a fraud alert or they claim there’s an undisclosed issue. In order to clear the issue they need you to provide your bank account details…Yeah right.
One company is fighting back against these ‘pretend’ company employees.
Google has actually taken out a lawsuit against scammers who claim to be google employees selling access to their Google My Business Profiles. I didn’t even realize how large of an issue this was for the company.
Social Media Today stated that Google,
“In 2021 alone, detected and stopped more than 12 million attempts by bad actors to create fake Business Profiles, and nearly 8 million attempts to claim Business Profiles that didn’t belong to them.”
Just to be very clear – your Google Business Profile is completely free to access – these scammers are finding ways to charge people to access something that has always been free, which is why Google is taking such action.
The people the most at risk here are those that run small businesses. Your local mom-and-pop store or maybe that taco stand down the street that you love so much. Or, maybe you yourself or a close family member own a business. Even the tiny gas station down the street with the cashier who always has a smile on his face.
Real people in our communities could be scammed.
It’s impressive to see Google stepping up to the plate in this way. Dependent on who you are, you may have mixed feelings about the company, which is fair – however, you don’t see many companies nowadays going to such lengths at least in this regard to protect their customers.
It’s not the first time that Google has gone to bat for their business owners. Just earlier in November, they won a court case against a Russian scamming bot. That’s what led them to start a court case against these scammers here.
Most will just send you an email and say, “Watch out. There are scammers!” then they move on like you are not at risk of losing your life savings or personal information. However, Google is showing what should be done when you have fraudulent claims affecting a large portion of your customers. Go Google!
A native New Englander who migrated to Austin on a whim, Stephanie Dominique is a freelance copywriter, novelist, and certificate enthusiast. When she's not getting howled at by two dachshunds or inhaling enough sugar to put a giant into shock, she is reading, cooking or writing about her passions.
