I am sure many of you have received one or two (or more) requests from Google Business Profiles saying the owner is requested access to maintain your business. I just delete them but I am hearing from Local SEOs that this is becoming more and more of an issue.
Ben Fisher said in the Local Search Forum “I am seeing a ton of owner requests come in from hijackers, are you all seeing the same? Started this week.” Others are saying yes, but maybe not just this week. Scott Rawlins replied, “I saw quite a few maybe 3 weeks ago (for a couple of weeks), but the requests have dramatically declined for me.” Sarah said “Last week I got 5 scam requests from the same person! I am used to getting maybe 3 a month, but I too have noticed an increase recently.”
Here is the Google help document on ownership requests that says “If a Business Profile on Google has already been verified and you’re authorized to manage the profile, you can request ownership from the current profile owner. If you can’t find a “Claim this Business” or “Own this business” link on the Business Profile, you’re likely already an owner for the business. On your profile, search for a “You manage this business profile” badge.”
Just be on the outlook for these requests, they may seem official and if you do not own the business and you just manage that business for a client, be super careful before granting someone you don’t know access to that business listing.
This is not a new issue, it has been going on for many years but there are reports of an uptick in this fraudulent activity.
You don’t want a competitor gaining access to your business listing on Google and then requesting the business to be removed from Google Maps and Google Search.
Forum discussion at Local Search Forum.
