How Can You Protect Your Small Business' Profile
Key Points:
- Recently, businesses have been receiving emails from Google letting them know that someone is claiming ownership of their Google Business profile.
- The emails aren't fake because they come directly from Google, but they have fraudulent ownership requests from scammers trying to access other businesses' GMB profiles.
- While the ability to claim ownership of a GMB account is critical in some scenarios, scammers are abusing the feature by trying to get businesses to grant them ownership.
- Losing ownership of your GMB listing can grant a scammer access to a profile you have worked hard to build, optimize, and collect reviews.
- You shouldn't ignore the fake ownership email request — instead, you should review and decline the request.
Nearly all small businesses own a Google Business listing. The listing is essential for updating your customers about your business location and operating hours and allows clients to leave you Google reviews.
However, scammers have turned to small businesses' Google Business Profile accounts, requesting ownership so that they can take over profiles that business owners have worked hard to build.
The ownership request email you'll receive won't appear as fake because it's sent from Google. However, it'll have a request for fraudulent ownership to access your Google Business profile.
The fake ownership requests have picked up steam lately, and if you aren't paying attention, you may unknowingly grant control of your Google Business profile to a scammer or someone who will extort your business for payment to get back control.
What Can Happen if You Grant the Ownership Request?
If you hands over your Google Business Profile ownership to a scammer, they can.
- Remove you from being an owner of your Google Business listing
- Change the information on your listing to confuse your clients
- Limit you from taking down an old listings you no longer have ownership access to
- Limit you from owning the reviews you collected
Fortunately, Google cannot grant ownership to anyone without your permission. Anytime someone requests ownership, Google will send you an email asking your permission to grant that person access.
If you review the request and deny access, the scammer will not have ownership of your account.
I cannot express enough how grateful we are to ONA for saving the day when our previous IT company in Coppell dropped the ball and failed to take care of our day-to-day technology services. It was a complete nightmare, and we were at a loss for what to do next.
That's when we decided to call ONA, and we are so glad we did. They were professional, efficient, and knowledgeable when we reached out to them. They quickly assessed the situation, and within hours, they planned to fix all the issues and get our systems back up and running.
What amazed us the most was how ONA magically made all our IT problems disappear. They were able to resolve all our issues with ease, and they did it all with a smile on their face. They were always available to answer any questions we had, and they made sure we were satisfied with their work.
Since switching to ONA, we have had nothing but positive experiences. Their attention to detail and level of customer service is outstanding. They are always available to provide us with support and assistance, and they go above and beyond to ensure that we are happy with their work.
I highly recommend ONA to anyone looking for a reliable, professional, and experienced IT services company. They truly saved the day for us, and we are so grateful for their exceptional service and support. Thank you, ONA, for all that you do!
How to Protect Your Small Business From Google Business Profile Scams
The best way to protect yourself from the scam is to be aware of the signs of a fake request, which include:
- Email from a non-Google domain, such as @gmail.com
- A generic email that doesn't mention your business by name
- A request for payment to regain control
When you receive such a request, don't respond or click on any links. Instead, report it to Google immediately so that they can investigate and take appropriate action.
You shouldn't ignore the ownership request email. Google can approve ownership requests when the current owner fails to decline the request.
When you receive the email, click the Review Request button in the email and then follow the steps to reject the request. Google will notify the scammer that their request was rejected, but your Google Business Profile will be safe.
After rejecting a request, you might receive more from different names, which you should reject, too.
I cannot express enough how grateful we are to ONA for saving the day when our previous IT company in Coppell dropped the ball and failed to take care of our day-to-day technology services. It was a complete nightmare, and we were at a loss for what to do next.
That's when we decided to call ONA, and we are so glad we did. They were professional, efficient, and knowledgeable when we reached out to them. They quickly assessed the situation, and within hours, they planned to fix all the issues and get our systems back up and running.
What amazed us the most was how ONA magically made all our IT problems disappear. They were able to resolve all our issues with ease, and they did it all with a smile on their face. They were always available to answer any questions we had, and they made sure we were satisfied with their work.
Since switching to ONA, we have had nothing but positive experiences. Their attention to detail and level of customer service is outstanding. They are always available to provide us with support and assistance, and they go above and beyond to ensure that we are happy with their work.
I highly recommend ONA to anyone looking for a reliable, professional, and experienced IT services company. They truly saved the day for us, and we are so grateful for their exceptional service and support. Thank you, ONA, for all that you do!
Can Your Marketing Partners Stop Scammers From Sending Fake Ownership Requests?
There isn't any known measure to stop scammers from sending you fake ownership requests. After all, claiming a currently owned and verified GMB listing is critical in several situations.
For instance, if your employee created your GMB listing and left without turning it over to you — you might need to get the ownership to access a profile that's rightfully yours.
Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of such opportunities.
How to Stay On Top of the GMB Ownership Request Scam
The only way to stay on top of GMB ownership request scams and protect your small business is to actively manage your GMB account.
Here are several tips to be proactive with your GMB account:
- Ensure your GMB listing has updated information about your business: Keeping your GMB updated is critical. If Google emails, calls or sends you any sort of verification, you must be in a position to verify your current information.
- Monitor the email connected to your GMB listing: If your inbox always overwhelms you, set up a unique folder for Google Business Profile emails. You can then check the folder once a day for any critical communication. That way, you eliminate the chances of ignoring any fake GMB ownership requests, which might have dire consequences for your small busniess.
- Deploy Google 2-step verification on your Google account: When you enable the 2-step verification security feature, Google will send you a verification code whenever anyone attempts to log in to your GMB account.
You'll use the code to verify that it's you and log into your account. If you receive a verification code, and you aren't the one trying to log in, you can report the incident to prevent unauthorized access to your account.
Many IT professionals talk about security measures to their clients — two-factor authetication, antiviruses, firewalls, and managed threat detection. While all the security measures are important, fake GMB ownership requests are a growing threat that small businesses should be aware of.
There's no way to know what the fraudster will do to the Google Business Profile if a business accepts the fake ownership request. Scammers often have malicious intentions and are not limited to sending email ownership requests. They can also use voicemail to lure businesses into handing over ownership of their GMB and hurt your business.
I cannot express enough how grateful we are to ONA for saving the day when our previous IT company in Coppell dropped the ball and failed to take care of our day-to-day technology services. It was a complete nightmare, and we were at a loss for what to do next.
That's when we decided to call ONA, and we are so glad we did. They were professional, efficient, and knowledgeable when we reached out to them. They quickly assessed the situation, and within hours, they planned to fix all the issues and get our systems back up and running.
What amazed us the most was how ONA magically made all our IT problems disappear. They were able to resolve all our issues with ease, and they did it all with a smile on their face. They were always available to answer any questions we had, and they made sure we were satisfied with their work.
Since switching to ONA, we have had nothing but positive experiences. Their attention to detail and level of customer service is outstanding. They are always available to provide us with support and assistance, and they go above and beyond to ensure that we are happy with their work.
I highly recommend ONA to anyone looking for a reliable, professional, and experienced IT services company. They truly saved the day for us, and we are so grateful for their exceptional service and support. Thank you, ONA, for all that you do!"
Patricia Carlson
Out N' Aboot Can Help You Manage Your Google Business Profile
There are lots of scams out there targeting small business owners. If you keep receiving phishing emails alerting you that "Someone has requested ownership of your business on Google My Business," your best approach is to review and decline the request.
However, scammers are relentless and can keep sending requests using different accounts. Your best security measure will be to monitor your Google Business account.
At Out N' Aboot, we can help you manage your GMB profile and other marketing requirements to keep your business active on the online front to reach more client. We can also help you stay up to date on potentials risks that your small business may be exposed to. Contact us today to discuss ways to scale up your small business marketing presence.
How to Stay On Top of the GMB Ownership Request Scam
How to Stay On Top of the GMB Ownership Request Scam
The only way to stay on top of GMB ownership request scams and protect your small business is to actively manage your GMB account.
- Ensure your GMB listing has updated information about your business: Keeping your GMB updated is critical. If Google emails, calls or sends you any sort of verification, you must be in a position to verify your current information.
- Monitor the email connected to your GMB listing: If your inbox always overwhelms you, set up a unique folder for Google Business Profile emails. You can then check the folder once a day for any critical communication. That way, you eliminate the chances of ignoring any fake GMB ownership requests, which might have dire consequences for your small busniess.
- Deploy Google 2-step verification on your Google account: When you enable the 2-step verification security feature, Google will send you a verification code whenever anyone attempts to log in to your GMB account.
What is included in Out N' Aboot' Managed IT Services in Vancouver?
Our managed IT services in Vancouver include comprehensive IT discovery, limitless proactive IT support, 24/7/365 network monitoring and human support, managed network and endpoint security, managed backups and data safety, IT budgeting and forecasting, and preventive maintenance.
