Fake Google Maps listings weaponized to kill real businesses, confuse you

For as long as Google Maps (and other digital mapping services) have existed, there have been fake listings. The most notable example was a scam where a centralized operation would mass-produce fake locksmith listings advertising low rates, then jacking up prices as poor sods left out of house or car get desperate. These days, the directory battlefield has expanded across different high-cost industries with devastating tactics deployed against businesses and the public while placing livelihoods on the line.

The Wall Street Journal took in a few case studies on how and why Google Map listings are faked and to what effect. For example, addresses may be gamed for a business to be placed near or at the same location as a competitor, regardless if they have a location there. In another case, companies bid for the top position in search results — the biggest source of referrals for many businesses.

One victim to a deception effort had paid marketers “tens of thousands of dollars” to increase the visibility of his two Chicagoland junk car-buying businesses on Google Maps. The marketers then turned around and demanded half his revenue, which he refused to give. They then flooded…