GettyAs many as 11 million false business could be masquerading in plan site on Google Maps. After a Wall Street Journal investigation into the "millions of business listings on Google Maps that are fake," the search giant quickly responded to explain "how we fight fake business profiles on Google Maps." The investigation into Google Maps has unearthed a cat and mouse game, with scammers gaming Google's security checks. Even though fake business profiles are a small percentage of the overall business profiles on Google, local business scammers have been a thorn in the internet’s side for over a decade. Beyond financial scams, there are also clear physical dangers in fake businesses seeking to legitimize their activities by appearing on a quasi-official local Google search.

Source: Forbes June 21, 2019 03:53 UTC