GOOGLE SCAM
Targeting small business owners
“Is your business listed?“
Business owners are called and told by “consultants” that their business listings on Google (or any search engine, such as Yahoo or Bing) are not up to date. They are also told that they’re at risk of being removed from the top page of search results. Though the callers are in no way affiliated with Google, their pitch is simple – they promise to help business owners in return for a fee. What these scammers are really after is credit card information.
Get protection from Google scams
YouMail – the totally free service that stops over 1 million bad guys from ringing your phone!
What you should know
Small businesses are BIG business for scammers. Recent statistics find that 29% of robocall scams in 2016 specifically targeted small business owners. Ripe with business owners unfamiliar with online search optimization, Google and Business Listing scams have become the top consumer phone scam, rising a solid 14% year to year.
How YouMail can help stop Google scams today
ouMail customers are protected from scammers and fraudsters. Our service is 100% free and extremely effective. Our exceptional call blocking and caller ID capabilities systematically block calls and remove any and all numbers from robocaller lists – FOREVER.
Definitely check out YouMail’s online phone directory to validate if the caller’s number has negative reports or is from a known scammer.
What you should do
If you find yourself on the receiving end of this type of call, remember this – Google (or Yahoo, Bing) does not cold call businesses to sell them search engine positioning. And beware of the caller who guarantees first-page rankings. When it comes to guaranteed rankings, it is usually a scam. Why? Even if they are able to guarantee the results to your company, what happens when a competitor wants the same keyword? Who receives priority? Does it turn into a bidding war? What if you lose the bid?
Our best advice
If faced with this caller, ask for their Google call back number complete with extension. Tell them that you’ll call them right back, as the Google voicemail you encounter will verify they are a Google employee. If they give you a direct number or any number that is not a Google number, then they are not a Google employee.
If you are really suspicious, just hang up! Let calls from numbers you don’t recognize roll to voicemail.
Experience shows that voicemail is really your best defense against fraud and our YouMail customers agree. Once you have our YouMail service, the technology blocks known scam callers. They will hear an “out of service” message and those fraudulent scammers will take you off their list for good.