Google has removed 10,000 fake business pages from Google Maps and is suing the scammers who created them for profit, The Verge reports. The lawsuit involves a man who was selling fake business profiles. A Texas locksmith helped expose the scheme after discovering his business was being impersonated on the mapping service.
Google legal counsel Halima DeLane Prado noted that scammers are improving their methods, so the company carefully monitors and blocks fake ads.
Criminals use Google Maps to scam people in several ways. Victims can come across fake businesses, call them, and receive an inflated price for a service. Sometimes, customers are redirected to fraudulent call centers, forcing them to pay upfront for services they won’t receive. Fake reviews and inflated ratings also help scammers mislead users.
In 2023, Google removed 12 million fake business profiles and said the number was growing by a million each year. The company has also stepped up its crackdown on fake reviews. In the UK, Google even introduced restrictions on businesses that manipulate ratings, responding to pressure from regulators.