Got a call saying your Google listing will be removed? It isn't Google.
Google doesn't charge for a Business Profile, and it won't call to threaten to remove your business. A caller who wants money, a password or a code to “verify”, “keep” or “boost” your listing is not Google. Hang up without pressing any keys, then check your profile yourself at business.google.com.
I help local businesses show up on Google Maps from Palm Coast, Florida, and the number on my own Google profile gets these calls too: eight of them in four hours, from callers selling “visibility services”. When I called the numbers back straight away, they were already disconnected. Here is how to tell them apart from Google, and what to do.
Hear the call, staged with AI voices
We rebuilt the call we keep getting with AI voices, so you can hear it without picking up. Every voice is AI; none of it is a recording of a real call.
“Can you hear me?” A staged scam call, made with AI voices
A staged example of the call, made with AI voices to show how easy a “live” call is to fake, then what Google says.
Read the transcript
[Staged call] Hi, this is Sarah from the business listing department. [Staged call] Can you hear me okay? [Staged call] Great. [Staged call] Your Google listing will be marked permanently closed today, unless you press one. That wasn't Google. And it wasn't a person. We made that call ourselves. Every voice in it is AI, even the office. We got eight of these calls in four hours. Called the numbers back? Disconnected. Here's what Google says. Business Profiles are free. Google will never ask for payment, credit card details or passwords on its calls. The FCC warns some callers record your yes as a voice signature. So don't say yes. Don't press a key. Just hang up. Then open your profile yourself, and check who has access. So the next time a friendly voice asks if you can hear them...
Coming Oct 10“Press one to verify your Google listing”: the call, step by step
The call as we get it: a robot, press one, hold music, then a “person” whose name and voice change every call.
Read the transcript
[Staged call] We are with Google listing. [Staged call] Your profile is not being seen, and your prices need to be verified. [Staged call] Please press one, so our agent can verify you and your business. That's how the scam call we keep getting starts. A robot, claiming to be Google. Google says pressing buttons can lead to more of these calls. So here's what happens when you press one. Hold music. Four to seven seconds, so it feels like a real office. [Staged call] Hi, this is Daniel. [Staged call] Can you hear me okay? Then a person. Except the name and the voice change every call. [Staged call] Hi, this is Sarah. [Staged call] Can you hear me okay? [Staged call] Hey, it's Mike. [Staged call] Can you hear me? They sound like recordings. Answer, and it goes quiet, then hangs up. Say nothing, and you get a few hellos. [Staged call] Hello? [Staged call] ... Hello? We don't know what they do with your answer. But the FCC has warned about callers recording a yes as a voice signature. So when a robot says your Google listing needs verifying, don't press one. Just hang up.
Coming Oct 12Google will never call you for this
The short version: money, a password or your verification code means it isn't Google.
Read the transcript
If a call says it's Google and asks for money, a password, or your verification code... it isn't Google. Business Profiles are free. Hang up.
What the calls say
The script changes, but it is almost always a threat to your listing, a button to press, or a promise to rank you.
- Your Google listing will be removed, or marked “permanently closed”, unless you act today.
- Press 1 to verify your business listing.
- This is a final notice about your Google profile.
- We can get you to the top of Google Maps for a fee.
- A name that sounds official: “visibility services”, a “listing department”, a “data service provider for Google”.
These are old tricks. In 2018 the FTC sued a Florida operation, Point Break Media and 12 other companies and people, whose robocalls warned that Google would label businesses “permanently closed” and charged $300 to $700 to stop it. In 2022 Google sued a group that impersonated Google on telemarketing calls and tried to charge businesses for Business Profiles, which Google calls “a service we provide for free.”
Some sound like a real person. They're a recording.
Some of these calls play a recording made to sound like a live person, with office noise and other voices in the background, and they are built to get you talking, above all to say “yes”.
Some of the calls I get are exactly that: a friendly voice, people chatting behind it, and a pause where a real person would wait for your answer. The FCC has warned since 2017 about callers who ask “Can you hear me?” and record the “yes” as a voice signature to approve charges by phone. The FTC says a scammer needs only “a short audio clip” of someone's voice to clone it with AI, and any words you give them are that clip. Since February 2024 the FCC treats AI-generated voices in robocalls as “artificial”, which makes those calls illegal without your consent.
So say as little as you can:
- Don’t say “yes”, even to “Can you hear me?” or “Is this the owner?”. Ask who is calling, or just hang up.
- Don’t say your name, your business name or any code out loud for them.
- Already said yes? Watch your bank, card and phone bills for charges you didn’t approve.
A real Google call vs. a scam call
Google does call businesses, often with an automated call, but never for money, a password or a code.
| Topic | Scam caller | |
|---|---|---|
| Why it calls | To confirm your hours, prices or details, or to book an appointment for a customer. Often automated. | To sell you something about your listing. |
| Money | Never asks for payment, card details or account passwords. | Wants you to pay to verify, keep or rank your listing. |
| Codes | Never asks for a one-time code or PIN. | Asks you to read back a code you just received. |
| The voice | An automated call or a real operator, and either one is fine to hang up on. | Often a recording made to sound live, with office noise and voices behind it. |
| Pressure | Doesn't threaten to remove your business. | “Final notice”, “act now”, “removed today”. |
| Ranking | “There’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google.” | Promises first place or the top three. |
What to do when they call
Hang up, then check your profile yourself; nothing the caller says changes what Google shows.
- Hang up. Don’t press any buttons, even if the recording tells you to, and don’t say “yes”.
- Don’t call back a number they give you. If you want to check something, use contact details you find yourself.
- Check your profile yourself: sign in at business.google.com, look for any warning, and look at who has owner or manager access. Remove anyone you don’t know, and never approve an access request from someone you don’t know.
- Turn on 2-Step Verification for the Google account that owns your profile.
- Report the call: to Google with its form for calls that pretend to be Google, and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Register your number at donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222.
- Optional: Google’s own automated calls can be turned off in your profile’s advanced settings, or by saying “Please stop calling my business.”
Google's report form: calls that pretend to be Google. The FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
How to tell us apart
I sell Google Maps work too, so hold me to this. If I ever call you, I won't say I'm Google, won't threaten your listing, and won't ask for a payment, a password or a code on the phone. Paid work starts with a short written agreement, and the prices are on the pricing page. You add me as a manager from inside your own profile, and you can remove me any time. If you want to know where you actually stand, the free Visibility Check shows you, and it never needs your password.
Questions owners ask
Does Google call businesses about their listing?
Sometimes. Most are automated calls to confirm your hours, prices or details, or to book an appointment for a customer. Google says it will never ask for payment, credit card information or account passwords on those calls.
Will my Google listing be removed if I ignore the call?
No. Ignoring a scam call does nothing to your profile. Google Business Profiles are free, and the FTC says Google will not call you to threaten to remove your company from search listings.
Can I pay to rank higher on Google Maps?
No. Google's words: “There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google.” Google Ads are a separate product, shown as sponsored.
Why does the caller sound like a real person?
Often it’s a recording made to sound live, with office noise and other voices behind it, built to keep you talking. The FCC warns that callers record a “yes” to use as a voice signature for charges, and the FTC says a short clip of a voice is enough to clone it with AI. Say as little as you can, and never “yes”.
How do I stop Google listing scam calls?
You can't stop all of them, because the callers change numbers and fake the caller ID. Hang up without pressing keys, register your number at donotcall.gov, ask your phone company about call blocking, and report each call to Google and the FTC.
I already paid one, or gave them a code. What now?
Call your bank or card company and ask to dispute the charge. Change the password on the Google account that owns your profile, turn on 2-Step Verification, remove any owner or manager you don’t recognize, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
More short answers: Google Maps questions, answered.
Sources, checked 2026-10-08: Google: Help protect against fraudulent calls and texts; Google: About automated calls and texts from Google; Google: Help protect your Google Business Profile; Google: How Google ranks local results; Google blog: Protecting small businesses from scammers (November 29, 2022); FTC: robocallers’ false threat that small businesses will be “removed” from Google (May 23, 2018); FCC: “Can you hear me” scams, recording consumers’ voice responses (March 27, 2017); FTC: Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes (March 20, 2023); FCC: AI-generated voices in robocalls are illegal (February 8, 2024); FTC: Business impersonator scams. Written by Max Kutsar, Find Untapped Growth.
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