Google has announced a lawsuit against scammers who have been targeting small businesses. The scam consists of making predatory telemarketing calls to small businesses and attempting to charge them for verification of their profile. Google’s lawsuit signifies an ongoing and proactive effort to crack down on vulnerable targets.

“Today we are filing a lawsuit against scammers who sought to defraud hundreds of small businesses by impersonating Google through telemarketing calls,” said Google in a blog post. “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 goes on to explain “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.”

Also points out “In 2021 alone, we stopped more than 12 million attempts from bad actors to create fake Business Profiles and nearly 8 million attempts from bad actors to claim Business Profiles that didn’t belong to them.”

Google’s lawsuit against scammers sends a clear message: it won’t stand for this kind of predatory behavior. Google is looking out for small businesses and demonstrating that it takes their safety seriously. With Google’s commitment to protecting small businesses, the internet just got a little bit safer.

Now, let’s turn the tables on those scammers and have Google come to the rescue!

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