Google posted about the problem on the Google Public Policy blog, detailing the tactics these companies use.
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The suit was filed in the Norther District of California and the company is probably looking to get a clear warning message across to all would be robocallers, that associate themselves with Google in any way.
Google has sued Local Lighthouse Corp, which has undertaken a massive robocall and telemarketing campaign and, from personal experience, tried to trick callers into thinking it was associated with Google.
Court records show that Local Lighthouse is now facing several lawsuits, including at least one by a marketer who alleges the company made “untrue and materially misleading statements” regarding its relationship with Google.
Google also revealed they were filing a lawsuit against an SEO company for using these tactics. In its complaint (PDF), Google says that Tustin, California-based Local Lighthouse has bombarded consumers with “incessant, unsolicited automated telephone calls” since mid-2014, making “false guarantees of first-page placement in Google search results”.
“Our office is beseiged [sic] daily by phone calls asking to update our Google listing”.
If you get a call, Google says you should hang up and never press any key – even if a recording asks you to talk to someone live or to be taken off a calling list.
This is good news that Google is taking action against companies implying in cold calls that they are Google, especially against a company that is so prolific in their robocalls. Anyone receiving such a call should contact both Google and the Federal Trade Commission to lodge a complaint.
Forum discussion at Google My Business Help, Local Search Forums and Google+.
For those who are blessedly unaware of Robocalls, the term is basically a fancy name for an automated call that makes you listen to a message on behalf of a particular company.
You’re eating dinner with your family when the phone rings, and you see a phone number that you don’t recognize. They claim they are helping the business get verified on Google Maps. And they added a new way for business owners to report these types of robocalls that state they are Google.
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As Third Door Media’s paid media reporter, Ginny Marvin writes about paid online marketing topics including paid search, paid social, display and retargeting for Search Engine Land and Marketing Land.
