When someone calls you and says they are calling from google, unless you requested a call from Google to verify your Google My Business listing or Google Maps this is someone that is posing to be from google and is actually a telemarketer soliciting you so beware!
So don’t fall for the hype no matter how tempting it may seem. Just think ” Can you trust someone that is posing as someone else with your marketing?” No is the correct answer here!
Most small business owners are glad to get a call from Google and these posers know this and therefore try and take advantage of you by trying to get you to allow them to manage your listing or some other sort of marketing that they are trying to sign you up for and sell you on.
Google Does Not Call You Unless You Requested A Call!
Lets cover a few things real quick and then we can dive in to them in more detail.
- Does Google Call You About Your Business Listing? The only time google will call you about your business listing or your maps listing is when you setup your account and you choose the verification by phone option. For one most of us do not even get that privilege instead we get to wait by the mail box for the post card google sends with your pin so you can claim your listing. There are some businesses were google will still let you verify your listing by phone but most are required to have a pin mailed to them which is then used in the GMB or maps to verify the listing.
- Does Google Contact You By Phone? The answer is pretty much the same as above. As a general rule you will not be called by Google unless you asked them to call you to verify a listing by phone. They do not solicit and call you without you asking for the call.
- A Call From Google will come from a very specific number. For anyone in the USA the number should be 650-203-3000. That is a call from Google!
So when Google calls it will be from 650-203-3000 and it will be because you asked them to verify your map listing or your GMB via phone. Everything else is a scammer trying to solicit you pretending to be them. So beware! You have to request a call for google my business or google maps verification. Only when you request a call will they call you.
Does Google Make Marketing Calls?
Google will not and does not make marketing calls. So if anyone calls you, you can be sure it is not Google trying to sell you something it is someone that is not part of their organization trying to get you to unknowingly agree to have them do some sort of marketing service for you.
Google Does Not Do The Following:
- Does not make robo calls
- Ask you to claim your free website
- Call you to charge you for being included in search or places
- Does not ask you to update your listing for a first page listing.
- Run A Lottery
- Threaten to delete your listing
- Manage your business online profile
- Offer to improve your businesses search ranking
- Ask you for your password or verification code (If someone asks for this do not give it to them)
So if anyone calls you posing as them and asks you about any of the above you can rest assured it is not them.
Google knows that this is a problem to the point that they have put out an answer on their support desk to help you spot as well as fight this sort of thing. You can take a look at that by going to https://support.google.com/business/answer/6212928?hl=en
What Should You Do When You Get A Call From Google
If you get a call from google and you did not ask to be called you should do one of two things. Just hang up or get as much info as you can and visit the link above to report the caller to the proper authorities.
These call from google scammers are very much targeted towards small business in hopes that the business owner is not savvy enough about the internet or does not have enough staff to have an in house marketing team that would know better.
We do offer internet marketing as well as seo consulting so if you ever need advice were here to help. Simply contact us and we can set up a virtual meeting to have one of our internet marketing experts help you with your internet marketing needs!