Warning: Scam Call About Your Google Business Profile (How to Spot and Avoid It)

Today, I received a scam voicemail claiming there was an ‘urgent issue’ with my Google Business Profile. Here’s what it said — and how you can spot scams like this.

Hey, this is Alan from the Business Help Center. Today is Monday, uh, the uh, the seventh. We’re having an urgent issue with your Google Business listing and need you to call us at your earliest convenience: 877-420-8927.That’s 877-420-8927.

Now we close at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard time today so please call us back before then. And if you think you’ve received this message in error, simply call us back and let us know.

But again, we’re having an urgent issue with your Google Business listing, um, specifically on Google Maps with Google’s new AI and need you to call us at your earliest convenience, 877-420-8927. Thank you. Talk to you soon.

This is obviously a scam. I hate calls like these. This one is different than the usual “Press one to verify your Google listing” robocalls, but there are still several obvious reasons why it’s fraudulent.

How to know that this is a junk call

#1: It’s coming from a weird location/area code

The number is coming from a 719 number, which is my cell phone’s area code. They’re likely spoofing the caller’s number to make it look like a local number for me. (Also: Google doesn’t have headquarters in Colorado Springs).

#2: It’s an unknown phone number

The number (877) 420-8927 doesn’t go to Google at all. I don’t know where it goes, but it isn’t Google. I have many saved phone numbers for Google, and that isn’t one of them. If you “Google” (haha) the phone number (877) 420-8927, it just shows a listing of many websites like “Robokiller.”

If you do a Google search of a REAL Google number, like the number (844) 245-2553‬, you will see this phone number very clearly listed on actual Google web pages. In this case, a search for (844) 245-2553‬ brings up the official Google Ads website and the number is clearly listed with the action “schedule a call with an Ads specialist.” That’s a pretty simple way to figure out whether the phone number is good or not.

#3: Google already knows who I am

I already have a Google Business Profile set up for my business and have for at least a dozen years. It’s listed at https://business.google.com. If there are any problems there, they already know who I am, and already have my contact info. They can just alert me in the Google Business Profile Manager there (and they do sometimes).

#4: They’re obfuscating the company’s name

There’s no such thing as the “Business Help Center.” Well, if there is, it’s a totally separate company from Google that is trying to sell me something. If there is actually a company with that name, it’s a carefully disguised name designed to confuse you by making you think it’s Google but without actually using the word “Google” in order to avoid lawsuits.

#5: My Google Business Profile is fine

There is nothing wrong with my Google Business Profile. Even if there was, and even if Google needed to contact me about it, it is never urgent. NEVER.

Google never does anything urgently, especially not about Google Business Profiles (formerly known as “Google My Business” or Google Maps). They are glacially, insultingly, pathetically, painfully slow in communications regarding your Google Maps profile.

Trust me: I do this for a living. Many times, we’ve submitted requests for our clients via Google’s actual, official email addresses, phone numbers, and online forms, and we wait, and wait, and wait, for days and even weeks.

They do not care about you and will move like sloths. They’ll get to your issue when they get to you and you cannot rush them. Usually, when they finally do reply, they’ll say: “It’s fixed” or some other very short answer that’s dismissive and shows they didn’t even read what you said.

#6: Strange terminology and lack of understanding of the product

“Google’s New AI?” That’s hilarious. This caller sounds like he’s reading off a script written by a nine year old. He may as well say something like “link juice and magical spells.”

#7: This actually sounds like a robot

After listening to it a few times, this sounds like a sophisticated robocaller and not even an actual person. The hesitation and confusion in the line: “Today is Monday, uh, the uh, the seventh” sounds deliberate like it’s trying to sound human.

It’s probably a pre-recorded AI caller that uses prompts and can even respond to you if you engage with it. AI is pretty amazing these days.

Also, it’s currently daylight time which I got this call, and the message says “Eastern Standard time.” That’s not a 100% foolproof method (since humans mix this up sometimes) but this combined with the fact that it doesn’t even say “Hi Ron,” or “This message is for Lieder Digital” tells me that even if this is a real person, he doesn’t know who he’s calling.

Real calls from Google will always let you know that they know who you are.

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Conclusion: this is a junk call.

If you get a call from someone like this, ignore it.

If you get a voicemail with a recording like this, don’t call “Allen” back. Just delete it and move on with your day. Don’t answer calls like these—they’re almost always a scam.

If you do accidentally answer one of these calls, and you’re stuck on the line with what you think is a real live human being that works at Google, try this trick: ask them if they’re a Google employee.

That conversation might sound something like this:

• Caller: “Hi, Ron, this is Allen with the Business Help Center. We’re having an urgent issue with your Google Business listing.”
• Me: “Hi Allen, boy, that’s interesting… where did you say you’re calling from? Are you with Google?”
• Caller: “I’m calling from “The Business Help Center.”
• Me: “Oh, really? So are you a Google Employee?”
• Caller: “I’m calling from the Business Help Center.”
• Me: “Yeah, that’s nice. Are you a Google Employee?”
• Caller: “I’m with the Business Help Center, calling to help you with your Google Business listing.”
• Me: “Right, Allen. I heard that. Did you hear me? I asked you: are you a Google Employee?”
• Caller: “I’m working with Google at the Business Help Center…”
• Me: “Are you or are you not a Google Employee? What is your email address?”
• Caller: (click).

This is a decent way to weed them out. You can use variations of this as well, like asking “Where are you located?” Google has a lot of locations but they should be able to tell you if they’re in Atlanta, or Boulder, or wherever. If they’re cagey about this, that’s suspicious.

Most of the calls I get from Google come from a 650 area code and the caller ID says “Mountain View, CA,” although I do get a fair amount of legitimate calls from the 252 area code and the caller ID says: “Washington, NC.”

If you’re still not sure, you can also just tell them: “Send me an email and we’ll set up a time to talk that way.” If they refuse, they’re likely a scammer. If they do send you an email, though, you can look up their email address and domain and see if it’s legitimate.

Keep in mind, Google employees making legitimate calls usually have this in common:

1. They are calling you FROM GOOGLE. They will say “This is Abhijit with Google.”
2. As I said before, they already know who you are. Abhijit, who actually works for Google will say: “I am calling to speak in regards to Lieder Digital.” They know who they’re calling, and they’re looking at their Google account as they’re calling you.
3. They’ll notify you that call is being recorded (spammers never do this, I’ve noticed).
4. They’ll give you their email address and it’s usually an email ending in @google.com or something very close to that, like @xwf.google.com.
5. They already know YOUR email as well.

On that final note, Google does indeed work with partners and contractors that aren’t in-house Google employees and that’s okay. But they will TELL you that. As of today, here’s a list of third-party companies that Google uses from time to time:

• Accenture
• Atento
• Cognizant
• Concentrix
• Regalix / Marketstar
• TDCX / Teledirect
• Teleperformance
• TMJ
• TTEC
• WNS

Note: Google’s own website says: “Google representatives always have an email address that ends with @xwf.google.com.” So, based on that alone, if they give you any email address that is different than that, you’re dealing with a scammer.

On a final note, if you’ve gotten a phone call or email from someone who claims to be working with or for Google and you’re not sure if it’s legitimate, contact me. I’ll listen to the voicemail or read the email for you, and help you determine whether it’s real or not for free.

Thanks, and I hope you’ve found this helpful!