FTC Acts to Halt Deceptive Robocalls to Small Businesses; Google Targets Fraud Scams

The FTC said it moved to block a "Florida-based scheme" from targeting small businesses with deceptive robocalls claiming to be from Google. The agency May 7 filed a complaint, approved 2-0, against Pointbreak Media and related parties in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, which issued a temporary restraining order May 8, said a release Wednesday. Defendants allegedly deceived "small business owners by falsely claiming to represent Google, falsely threatening businesses with removal from Google search results, and falsely promising first-place or first-page placement in Google search results," said the release. "Defendants have no relationship with Google, and yet they barrage consumers with robocalls threatening that Google will label their business 'permanently closed' unless they 'press one' to speak with a 'Google specialist.' Telemarketers tell those who respond that, for a purported one-time fee ranging from $300 to $700, they can 'claim and verify' their Google listing and have unique 'keywords' so their business will appear prominently when people search." Meanwhile, Google is acting against Pointbreak Media and two other groups suspected of fraud-related scams, blogged Google Product Lead-Small and Midsize Business Market Development Bryan Solar Wednesday. Such alleged impostors target businesses by claiming to improve a firm’s Google Search rankings or charging for free Google services. The company is moving against Kydia, Pointbreak Media and Supreme Marketing Group. The web platform also announced new techniques for identifying scam efforts, a tool for reporting scammers and educational resources.