Two people known as “The Internet Police” say a number of businesses in the Owen Sound area are dealing with inaccurate Google Maps information in part due to fraudsters.
Richard Trus and Sydney Eatz, Google Local Guides dubbed The Internet Police, recently came to Owen Sound and tried to locate a few businesses on Google Maps and found the placements on the navigation tool were incorrect in many cases.
Trus says they talked to the owners of several businesses and notified them their pins on Google Maps were in the wrong places and moved them back to the right locations.
Eatz says they've already identified over 300 listings in the Owen Sound area that are not accurate.
She says anyone who has a Gmail account can contribute to Google Maps. She says the Google algorithms determine how trustworthy a user is editing information on the map or listings — such as photos, business hours and contact numbers — through the amount of accurate contributions made in the past.
Google Local Guides have a high rate of trust and can alter information on the map quickly.
However, Trus explains some users who have a high-level of trust with Google's algorithms abuse it nefariously to accumulate local guide points.
“Every time we go somewhere we check out the Google listing and if there's a problem we make it known to the business owner,” Eatz explains. “A lot of business owners aren't aware of these issues and believe Google will handle it. Unfortunately it's not, it's people like us.”
Trus says many businesses reported receiving numerous calls each day from parties claiming to be Google, trying to obtain an access code.
Trus says this is a scam that is happening globally, and warns businesses should never hand out their Google access code to anyone.
“It's happened in Toronto for the past two years where people will claim the code and then call the business and say 'we're going to remove you from the map unless you give us $2,500,'” Trus says. “'Businesses are held at ransom to pay it. And they do pay it and get it back and then complain to Google. Unfortunately, Google is not doing anything about it.”
Eatz says the first step business owners can take to ensure the information portrayed on a Google Maps listing is accurate is to claim their business.
She says it's a process you can initiate online that takes about 15 minutes to complete, and involves receiving an automated call from Google with an access code.
“And you do not give that code to anyone. No matter what,” Eatz explains. “Once you claim your business on Google maps, you are the one who has the power to verify if someone makes an edit for you. And you can confirm things that are true or false.”
Trus says business owners also have to be aware of Google's terms and conditions and ensure content they post adheres to it. He says when items such as photos are posted that don't follow Google guidelines — or photos are posted only by the owner and not other parties — a business can actually lose its place in Google searches and rank lower.
He says most owners don't realize this and are often left wondering why their business is dropping off.
“I can be standing outside a restaurant doing a search on restaurants nearby and it will show me one over a kilometre away because Google knows it's more trusted,” Trus explains. “Because the owner there has had reviews from legitimate people and had photos taken by people who've been there and it's not just the owner posting photos.”
Eatz stresses businesses can lose or upset customers if the information available online through Google — such as hours of operation and address — is inaccurate.
She says they visited one business in Owen Sound where the owner indicated the hours listed on Google were incorrect, leaving some clients upset because they were arriving before the actual opening.
“A lot of people rely on their phone and Google Maps to see all of this information (about businesses),” Eatz says. “And a lot of people believe all of the information on the Google listing is correct.”