TL;DR
The vast majority of unsolicited calls asking you to verify your Google Business Profile are scams. While Google may make rare, automated calls to confirm public details like your business hours, they will never use high-pressure tactics, threaten to remove your listing, demand payment for your free profile, or ask for sensitive information like passwords over the phone.
The 'Verify Your Google Business Profile' Scam Explained
If you're a business owner, you've likely received an unexpected, often automated call about your Google listing. This common scam is designed to create panic and trick you into paying for unnecessary services or revealing sensitive information. The goal is simple: to exploit your reliance on Google for visibility and profit from your fear of being delisted.
The scam typically begins with a robocall that uses an urgent tone, warning that your Google Business Profile is at risk of being removed or has an issue that needs immediate attention. The message often instructs you to “press 1” to speak with a specialist. Doing so connects you not with Google, but with an aggressive salesperson from a third-party marketing company. These agents use high-pressure tactics to sell you overpriced and often ineffective SEO services, claiming they are necessary to “fix” or “verify” your free listing.
These callers are not affiliated with Google. They are third-party actors whose business model relies on deception. Their primary objectives are to either extract payment for services that Google offers for free or, in more malicious cases, to steal your account credentials to take control of your business profile. According to official Google guidance, you should never provide payment information or sensitive login details over the phone to an unsolicited caller. You can learn more about protecting yourself on the Google Business Profile Help page.
To protect your business, it's crucial to recognize the warning signs. Be immediately suspicious of any call that includes the following red flags:
- Urgent Threats: The caller claims your listing will be removed or marked as permanently closed if you don't act immediately.
- Requests for Payment: They ask for a fee to create, verify, or maintain your Google Business Profile, which is a free service.
- Claims of a Special Relationship with Google: The caller says they work “for Google” or are a “Google partner” in an unsolicited sales call.
- Requests for Sensitive Information: They ask for your password, verification codes, or financial information. Google will never ask for this over the phone.
- Guaranteed Rankings: The caller promises top placement on Google Search or Maps for a fee. No one can guarantee rankings.
Scam Calls vs. Legitimate Google Communication
The key to protecting yourself is understanding the very limited and specific ways Google actually communicates by phone. Legitimate calls from Google are rare and serve distinct, non-sales purposes. Scammers, on the other hand, rely on a predictable script of threats and pressure. Knowing the difference is your best defense.
Google has confirmed that it may place automated calls to your business for specific verification tasks. For example, an automated system might call to ask you to confirm your current business hours for Google Maps. These calls are informational, not transactional. A real Google call will never ask you to pay for a service or provide personal login credentials. If you have initiated a support request with Google, a support agent may call you back to assist, but this is a call you would be expecting.
In contrast, scam calls are unsolicited and designed to frighten you into making a hasty decision. They often come from spoofed numbers to appear local and use vague but official-sounding company names like the “Business Help Center.” As one marketing expert from Sterling Sky notes, if a caller claims to be working “with Google” to sell you a product, it's a clear red flag. If you are ever in doubt, the safest action is to hang up and check for any notifications by logging directly into your Google Business Profile dashboard.
Here is a clear comparison to help you distinguish a legitimate call from a scam:
| Feature | Legitimate Google Call | Scam Call |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | To confirm public information (e.g., business hours) or respond to a support ticket you initiated. | Unsolicited call to sell SEO services, threaten your listing, or demand payment. |
| Caller | Typically an automated system or a support agent you were expecting. The call is often identified as being from Google. | An automated robocall or a high-pressure salesperson from an unaffiliated third party. |
| Cost | Always free. Google never charges for a Business Profile or for inclusion in search results. | Demands payment for services, verification, or to prevent your listing from being removed. |
| Information Requested | May ask you to confirm public details (e.g., “Are you open now?”). Will NEVER ask for passwords or financial info. | Asks for passwords, verification codes, credit card numbers, or other sensitive data. |
| Tone | Informational and direct. | Urgent, threatening, and aggressive. |
Actionable Steps: How to Stop Google Business Listing Spam Calls
Dealing with a constant barrage of fraudulent calls is frustrating, but you can take clear, decisive steps to handle them and reduce their frequency. The most effective strategy is to disengage completely and report the offenders. Interacting with them in any way, even to express anger, often makes the problem worse by signaling that your number is active.
Follow these steps to protect your business and your peace of mind:
- Do Not Interact or Press Any Buttons. If you receive a robocall asking you to “press 1,” do not do it. Pressing any key on your keypad confirms to the scammer's system that your phone number is active and belongs to a real person. This can lead to your number being added to more calling lists, resulting in an increase in spam calls.
- Hang Up Immediately. As soon as you recognize the call is a scam, hang up. There is nothing to be gained by listening to their pitch or arguing with the caller. Do not try to ask them to remove you from their list, as this can also lead to more calls. The quickest and safest response is to end the call.
- Block the Number. While scammers frequently change or spoof the numbers they call from, blocking the number can prevent repeat calls from that specific line. Use the blocking feature on your smartphone or office phone system. Over time, this can help reduce the volume of interruptions.
- Report the Call. Help authorities track and combat these illegal calls by reporting them. In the United States, you can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) through the National Do Not Call Registry website. Reporting these incidents helps the FTC identify patterns and take action against the companies behind the scams.
By consistently following these steps, you can create a less inviting target for scammers and reduce the disruption these fraudulent calls cause to your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does Google call to verify your business hours?
Yes, Google may occasionally place an automated call to your business to confirm information that is already public, such as your hours of operation. These calls are for data quality purposes for Google Maps and Search. However, the automated system will simply ask for confirmation and will never ask for payment, passwords, or other sensitive personal information.
2. Why do I keep getting calls to verify my business on Google?
You keep receiving these calls because your business's contact information (like your phone number and address) is publicly available online. Scammers and aggressive third-party marketing companies scrape this public data to build call lists. They target business owners with these fraudulent “verification” calls as a tactic to sell them overpriced SEO services or to attempt to steal information.
