Google Sues Scammers Over Fake Maps Listings (cbsnews.com) 15
Google has filed a lawsuit against alleged scammers who created and sold fake business profiles on Google Maps, the company said. The legal action follows an investigation that uncovered and eliminated more than 10,000 illegitimate listings.
The investigation began after a Texas business reported an unlicensed locksmith impersonating them on the platform. Google discovered the scams primarily targeted "duress verticals" -- services needed in urgent situations like locksmiths and towing companies. "Once we're alerted to the actual fraud, we take extreme efforts to identify similar fraudulent listings," said Halimah DeLaine Prado, Google's general counsel.
The scammers used tactics including bait-and-switch schemes and intercepting calls to legitimate businesses through "lead generation services." They also sold fraudulent positive reviews to suppress negative feedback.
The investigation began after a Texas business reported an unlicensed locksmith impersonating them on the platform. Google discovered the scams primarily targeted "duress verticals" -- services needed in urgent situations like locksmiths and towing companies. "Once we're alerted to the actual fraud, we take extreme efforts to identify similar fraudulent listings," said Halimah DeLaine Prado, Google's general counsel.
The scammers used tactics including bait-and-switch schemes and intercepting calls to legitimate businesses through "lead generation services." They also sold fraudulent positive reviews to suppress negative feedback.
And the listings when you do a search? (Score:3, Interesting)
It's nice they're doing this on Maps, but the same applies when you do a search. For example, search for roofing repair in your area. Many of the top links are lead generation services. Get rid of them as well.
Re:And the listings when you do a search? (Score:5, Insightful)
Many of the top links are lead generation services. Get rid of them as well.
They are paying google to do that. If you pay google for it, it's perfectly fine. If you don't pay google for that exact same thing, you get sued and called a criminal by google.
Re: (Score:2)
So, as long as you are giving Google a cut of the action you are OK.
Re: (Score:3)
For example, search for roofing repair in your area. Many of the top links are lead generation services.
But that was true of Yellow Pages listings back before Al Gore invented the Internet. You've got to look for that contractors license number. Don't see one? Move on. Or at least get the phone number off their truck.
Trust (Score:3)
Trust nothing listed on the Internet (ads, reviews, business listings, etc.) and you'll be better off. Live likes it's 1995 again until this disaster called the Internet can be sorted out.
Re: (Score:3)
Trust nothing listed on the Internet (ads, reviews, business listings, etc.) and you'll be better off. Live likes it's 1995 again until this disaster called the Internet can be sorted out.
gotta go back farther than that. 1995 is exactly when the Internet started its descent into the septic cesspool of scams and pornography that it currently is. In 1995, AOL's Steve Case opened a 2400 baud gateway to the internet for his idiot customer base, a monetized bottleneck that six million middle-class American morons who couldn’t tell a Usenet FAQ from a chain letter streamed through, polluting and corrupting everything they touched along the way. That was the exact moment the internet died.
Re: Trust (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I have a Garmin GPS unit from 2009 that still works correctly. I thought by now the maps would be outdated and unusable but it still finds its way perfectly.
Is Google going to give back the money... (Score:3)
They've paid 2.7 BILLION in fines for 45 violations and still seem to engage in all of the business practices that they've been fined for. [source: https://violationtracker.goodj... [goodjobsfirst.org] ]
It was nice of them to post a guide on GMB (Score:2)
How about fake restaurants? (Score:2)
You know, like MeltDown...a "new chain" you may have noticed recently. It's just Denny's, trying to remake their own image in an age of food delivery, where the customer never actually sees the restaurant.
Can't the scammer search be automated? (Score:2)
Why can't the search for scammers be automated? Just crawl search/maps/etc results and apply sanity checks using the very broad and detailed databases that Google has. Seems sort of straightforward.
Of course, maybe the answer is that when Google eliminates scammers and fake clicks, it penalizes itself and loses revenue. So, doing the right thing is bad business for Google.
Re: (Score:2)
Google doesn't actually verify anything, they'd rather just crowdsource it to bored people in exchange for "points." Their solution will probably be to crowdsource the sanity checks.
My little hobby (Score:2)
I like to explore places on google streetview and report pics that have obviously nothing to do with the spot. Like pics of palm trees on a mountain summit.