Fake Google listing or "review removal" service
A caller offers to verify your business listing or remove bad reviews for a fee, or threatens to suspend your listing.
Community reports: 0
How it works
- A caller or email says your business listing on a maps or search service is unverified, will be suspended, or has bad reviews they can remove.
- They ask for a verification or "premium" fee, or for access to your listing and the OTP sent to your phone.
- The fee is taken with no result, or they take over your listing, put their own number on it and demand more money.
What it looks like
Example messages. Numbers and links are masked.
Hello sir, calling about your Google business listing. It will be suspended today due to incomplete verification. Pay Rs 4,999 to keep it active.
We can remove all your 1-star reviews in 48 hours and add 50 five-star reviews. Package Rs 7,500, full advance.
Red flags
- Threat to suspend your listing today
- Offer to delete bad reviews for money
- Asks for the OTP sent to you
- Payment to a personal UPI ID
The one question to ask
Does any such warning show when you open your business listing yourself, without their link?
Already paid or shared details?
If you shared an OTP or login, change the password of the account linked to your listing and check that the phone number and address on it are still yours. If money was paid, call 1930 and file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in.
1930 · cybercrime.gov.in
Also seen as
- Fake listing with your shop's name and a scammer's number
- Offer to sell fake five-star reviews
- Fake "verification" call for a food delivery or booking app listing