Consumer outrage against Robocalls has even prompted Congress to intervene. In April 2016, U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier introduced the Repeated Objectionable Bothering of Consumers on Phones Act, code name: the Robocop Act<\/a>. If passed, the law would require telecom providers to offer customers free Robocall-blocking technology.<\/p>\n And Congress is not alone in their war against evil Robocalls. In September 2015, Google took up the fight after receiving hundreds of complaints about automated calls from companies claiming to represent the search engine giant.<\/p>\n “Callers commonly bombard recipients\u2014usually small business owners or individuals\u2014with misleading offers and promotions for improving Google Search and AdWords rankings, or to improve their Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business),” said Google Business Profile Operations Manager Brad Wetherall in a blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Many of you reading this post have probably received a similar type of call; but for the uninitiated, here’s how a typical “Google” call might go:<\/p>\n Phone rings. An unsuspecting employee sets down their book of Soduku puzzles and picks up the phone: “Hello, thank… “<\/p>\n The employee\u2019s polite greeting is quickly interrupted by a message like this: “Our records indicate that your Google Business Listing has not been claimed…”<\/p>\n Now, in most cases, the employee hangs up immediately and goes back to solving that Soduku puzzle. But some employees stay on the line, concerned their business’ presence on Google is in peril, and choose to continue the call with a real person. Sometimes the business representative even makes it far enough into the call to purchase the “solution.\u201d<\/p>\n At this point, the Robocall becomes a Robosale. This is when the issue becomes more than a petty nuisance and could turn into an expensive catastrophe for the business owner.<\/p>\n Google is going after companies that conduct these type of calls. In the blog post referenced above, Wetherall outlines a number of steps business owners can take to avoid Robocalls, warning the calls lead people to \u201cunnecessarily worry, and can lead to rip-offs.\u201d Wetherall also emphasized that \u201cillegal Robocalls never have, and never will, come from Google.”<\/p>\n Click To Tweet<\/a><\/p>\n It can be difficult to find the companies engaged in these activities. Robocallers often use \u201cuntraceable phone numbers, fake company names, and massive global networks of intermediaries. However, Google did file a lawsuit<\/a> against a search engine optimization (SEO) company engaged in these types of calls.<\/p>\n To give you an idea of just how dangerous the services Robocalls solicit can be, just check out the company\u2019s Yelp page<\/a>. It\u2019s littered with bad reviews from scorned customers. A few bad reviews is understandable, but 100 one-star ratings out of 117 total reviews is pretty telling.<\/p>\n And if those reviews don\u2019t paint a compelling enough picture, here’s what a former employee of the company wrote in an online review:<\/p>\n “They trained their sales reps to tell people they are Google partners when they are far from it. They use an automated system to call cellphones and residential homes\u2026 The automated system says press 1 to speak to a Google+ specialist. This tactic is used to confuse people intentionally\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n It’s unfortunate that this type of thing happens in the local SEO industry. Managing listings on sites like Google is an important \u2013 and, at times, challenging \u2013 task for local businesses. It\u2019s far too important to a business\u2019 online presence to be left in the hands of these types of companies.<\/p>\n So for you small business owners out there, I leave you with this small piece of advice: if you ever receive one of these calls, hang up and follow Google\u2019s instructions<\/a> to add your number to the do not call list. And, if you are concerned that your business\u2019 presence on Google is in jeopardy, there are plenty of reputable local SEO agencies out there to help manage your listings.<\/p>\nDon’t Fall Prey to the Scheme<\/h2>\n
Robocalls Never Come From Google<\/h2>\n
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![\"Sean-Flavin\"](\"https:\/\/beta.advicelocal.com\/blog\/images\/Sean-Flavin-150x150.jpg\")
Sean Flavin is a Marketing Communication Specialist at Marquette Group with a background in both journalism and search engine optimization. He is the managing editor of Marquette Group\u2019s blog and a regular contributor.\u00a0