If Google catches a business creating or managing a fake listing the business listing can be suspended, and Google may even work with law enforcement if the violation is deemed unlawful. Google has managed to identify and remove 70% of all fake listings since June 2015. Google has to assume that all fake listings are an attempt to scam or defraud, and therefore a business will be grouped with all the other scammers. In addition, whether the fake listing was intentional or not, the business will be classified as a scam, as Google cannot afford to distinguish between the two. If a business is identified as using a fake address, there is a significant penalty to pay that can hinder revenue and business significantly. It is not likely that those listing fake addresses for their business will get away with it for very long, as Google has become more vigilant about fake addresses. It may work in the short-term, but Google has been cracking down on fake listings, even going door-to-door to verify ownership.
The thought process behind this is that if a business operates in a warehouse or uninhabited office space somewhere else, technically it can be listed as another location for the business. The increase in fake location listings mostly started because of the belief that businesses will rank better in local searches for the service areas. This pollutes Google Maps with an abundance of fake locations and businesses, which hinders real businesses trying to make an honest living. There are many people out there who create fake listings for businesses, in order to forward calls and other inquiries to different (often shady) businesses for a fee. There are a number of reasons why this is a very bad idea, and as Google representatives are known to go door-to-door to verify business locations, it’s likely that the scam will be exposed. However there are businesses that register with fake addresses on Google in order to cheat the system. When it comes to owning and operating a business, it’s never a good idea to fake any paperwork.
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