In a world where most people are on Google nearly every day, there is no doubt that businesses want to optimize their listings to attract customers and grow revenue. However, with so much information out there, it can be hard to determine what is and is not legitimate. The Google Business Listing Scam is set up to take users’ personal information. This can put people’s livelihoods at risk, which can lead to a multitude of problems.
In this article, we cover:
- The details of the Google Verified User Scam
- Why the Google Verified User Scam is dangerous
- How to protect yourself from the Google Verified User Scam
The details of the Google Verified User Scam
The Google Verified User scam is similar to other Google business scams YouMail has picked up via its Robocall Index. The scam impersonates a business listing verification from the Google verification department. It informs users that their business listing will not show without their verification. It then prompts the user to press a number to speak to a representative. The most called states are Texas, California, Florida, Idaho, and Georgia. Numbers connected to the scam are (240) 261-5659, (254) 294-7903,(518) 201-1615, and (219) 706-7919.
Actual audio of a verification scam exploiting the Google brand
“Verify your business with Google. Our records show your business has not been verified by Google. Please press 1 now so we can verify your business with Google. If you are the business owner, please press 1 now. If your account has not been verified to customers searching for your services will not find your listing. Press 1 now to verify your listing or press 9 to be removed from this list.
Why the Google Verified User Scam is dangerous
The Google Verified User Scam is dangerous because it puts people at risk of revealing private information. Since most people trust Google as a credible and esteemed company, many don’t think twice about moving through the verification process in order to avoid any complications with their business. Having said that, this particular scam can actually put your business at risk, since it relies on fraudulent activity to trick and deceive you.
How to protect yourself from the Google Verified User Scam
It’s important to look for signs that you are being scammed. If you suspect a spam call, ask for employee verification. If they cannot provide verification, that is a strong indication that you are dealing with a fraudster. Google also does not ask for private information and certainly does not work with contractors to contact people directly. Using a call blocking app such as YouMail offers personalized protection from spammers, scam calls, and robocallers. This will give you greater peace of mind and will help you keep your business running without the threat of theft.
To protect yourself from the Google Verified User Scam, download YouMail today.
Find about more Robocall Scams at the YouMail Robocall Scam Guide.
RECEIVED CALL FROM THIS NUMBER CALLER STATED HE WAS FROM HOMES.COM – I DIDN’T EVEN RESPOND OTHER THAN I CAN’T HEAR YOU YOU’RE BREAKING UP THEN I HUNG UP AND BLOCKED NUMBER
While it’s comforting to see a study and article addressing this topic, it’s also depressing to see social justice injected into science as usual. Does no one see how that plants seeds of division making some suffering worse? When one is personally part of the statistic and experiencing it first-hand, one rarely thinks about where they are on the social ladder. I would love to attend a depression support group where empathy and helping each other was the primary goal. Instead division creates separate groups for a dozen different categories. If you don’t fit, you don’t belong. If two people are depressed due to loneliness, isolation, loss, is there nothing they can offer each other because they are in different tax brackets? Norhing? How about a lonely wealthier person who is feels they have no purpose in life pairing with a poorer person who is depressed because they can’t afford healthcare, or has a family to feed? I can think of a dozen things those two could offer to ease each other’s burden, while building a friendship that relieves depression. Occasionally people from diverse backgrounds do meet and this happens naturally. But mostly, institutions and government serve separately or spend a lot of resources studying to conclude answers that were obvious in the past.