Google My Business Hijacking has been an issue for many years, follow the steps below to either stop a hijack or reclaim your GMB (Google My Business) profile after it has been stolen.
Many business owners have received an email from Google where someone else requested ownership of their Maps listing, also known as Google My Business listing. If the owner of the business doesn't reply quickly and reject the attempt to gain control, then the owner risks losing access to their business on Google Maps, their Google reviews and facing their website and phone numbers being changed.
Sometimes the hijackers then change the phone number, website and contact information to a phishing site, intercepting customers and selling services or products the customer will never see. Other times, hijackers threaten and blackmail the owner to pay or never again get their listing back.
Neither route is a path a business owner wants to be in.
How do you know if you are experiencing an attempted Google My Business hijacking?
You will receive an email from Google that looks similar to this:
Are you like many people and wake up to 200+ emails a day? Have you possibly missed these notices to overtake your business on Google? Don't wait until it's too late. Unless it changes by the time you read this post, Google automatically grants access to the requester within 3 days of the request. Search your inbox for this address and if you see an ownership request for access to your business profile, act now:
businessprofile-noreply@google.com
How to STOP a (GMB) Google My Business Hijacking
1.Promptly decline the Request for ownership of your Google My Business account. Check first that the link goes to Google and is not phishing.
2.Report the attempt to Google's third-party complaint form, choose, "Other" and enter, "Hijacking attempt."
These hijacks are happening daily to businesses on Google and have been for years.
To initially claim your business, you must be verified but to claim ownership of an already established profile, it only takes a click and waiting a few days for the owner to miss the email.
Notice how the form below allowed the hijacker to enter any data into the phone field and not an actual phone number. A name, fake number and throw away burner email is not enough and should never be enough to verify and take over ownership of a business profile.
You can upvote the thread at this link to encourage Google to change the way a GMB ownership is claimed.
TNW Creations™️and Brand Tawaci Media™️is a Web Development & Media Publishing Agency headquartered in Austin, Texas. Web Development, cybersecurity, design, clean energy web host, digital marketing.
I am a software engineer, artist and voice actress. As a child, I became part of the grassroots development for teaching my Lakhota language online. When I'm not developing and creating, you'll find me motivating a community of Indie Game Developers, play testing new games on Twitch and YouTube, developing video content, voice acting for games, acting as cultural consultant for Native vibe games, investigating and initating hostile website takedowns, and enjoying time with my family.
