If you manage a Google Business Profile for your company, you may have received an email or notification asking you to “claim” or “verify” your business. These requests are fake. Google will never send you an email or notification asking you to claim or verify your business in this way.

There are a few ways to tell if a request is fake:

The request comes from a non-Google email address. Real Google notifications will come from an @gmail.com address.

The message includes a URL that doesn’t go to google.com. Real Google notifications will always direct you to a google.com URL.

The message includes grammatical errors or strange phrasing.

If you receive a fake request, do not click on any links or enter any information. Report the message to Google.

If you manage a Google Business Profile for your business, you may have received an email or notification asking you to verify ownership of your listing. These messages are part of an ongoing phishing scam where scammers try to gain access to your business listing in order to make changes that could harm your business or customers.

Here’s what you need to know about this scam, and how to protect your business:

What is the scam?

Scammers are sending fake ownership verification requests to business owners in an attempt to gain access to their Google Business Profile. The scammer then makes changes to the listing, such as adding false information or links to malicious websites.

How can I tell if the request is fake?

There are a few red flags that can help you spot a fake ownership request:

The request comes from an email address that is not associated with Google.

The email address is misspelled or uses odd characters (e.g. [email protected]).

The message includes a generic greeting (e.g. “Dear Google user”) instead of your business name.

The message contains grammatical errors or strange wording.

The message asks you to click on a link to verify your listing, but the URL is not associated with Google.

What should I do if I receive a fake ownership request?

If you receive a fake ownership request, do not click on any links or provide any information. Simply delete the message.

You can also report the scammer by forwarding the email to [email protected].

How can I protect my business?

There are a few steps you can take to protect your business from this scam:

Regularly check your Google Business Profile to ensure that the information is accurate and up-to-date.

Never click on links or provide information in response to an unsolicited email or message.

If you receive a suspicious ownership request, report it to Google.

By taking these steps, you can help protect your business from scammers.

If you manage a Google My Business (GMB) listing for your business, beware of spammy messages from people claiming to be Google representatives. These scammers try to trick business owners into giving them ownership of their GMB listings.

Google will never contact you to ask for your listing’s password or verification code. They also will never ask you to send them sensitive information like your credit card number or social security number.

If you get a suspicious email, phone call, or text message from someone claiming to be from Google, do not respond. If you’ve already given away your login information, change your password immediately.

You can report suspicious activity to Google by filling out this form.

If you manage a Google My Business (GMB) listing for your business, be on the lookout for scammers trying to trick you into giving them ownership of your listing. These fraudsters pose as Google representatives and contact business owners via email, phone, or text message, claiming that they need to verify their listing. They may even say that your listing is violating Google’s policies and that you need to take action to avoid being penalized.

Don’t fall for it! Google will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your listing’s password or verification code. They also will never ask you to send them sensitive information like your credit card number or social security number.

If you get a suspicious message from someone claiming to be from Google, don’t respond. And if you’ve already given away your login information, change your password immediately.

You can report suspicious activity to Google by filling out this form. In the meantime, make sure to warn your employees and other business associates about this scam so they don’t fall for it either.