How to Report a Fake Business Listing on Google Maps

A Google Maps result called “Perth 24/7 Emergency Plumber Gas Hot Water” is sitting above your plumbing business. You have a real team taking real calls; the other listing seems to have a name built from search terms. You tried “Suggest an edit” and nothing changed. If you want to know how to report a fake Google business listing so the report actually gets looked at, start with evidence. This guide covers what to collect, which reporting route to use and how to check what happened afterwards.

A long business name is not proof of fraud. Some businesses have legitimately rebranded. Google’s Business Profile guidelines say the profile name should match the name a business uses in the real world, including on its shopfront and website. An address should represent a real operating location, not a rented postal address where the business does not operate. You need evidence of a mismatch, not just a rival you dislike.

Why might a fake competitor appear above you?

Names packed with service and location terms can gain an edge in local search, according to Google Maps spam specialist Joy Hawkins of Sterling Sky. Other offenders use duplicate profiles or addresses where they do not operate. That can put a questionable listing in front of a customer who wanted a genuine local provider. It does not prove every lost call went to that listing, or that reporting it will restore a particular ranking.

First check your own Google Business Profile basics. A legitimate business can still have incomplete or inaccurate information. Fixing that is separate from reporting someone else.

What belongs in the evidence file?

Take a fictional example. Dave’s Plumbing, a Perth service-area business, is beaten by a listing named “Perth 24/7 Emergency Plumber Gas Hot Water Barron Ave”. Nobody has established that this other business is fake. Dave needs to check it before making that claim.

Record the listing. Save its Google Maps link, displayed name, address if shown, and the date. Capture the exact details you think breach the guidelines. If the profile hides its address, do not treat that alone as suspicious: a service-area business may legitimately do so.
Check the name. Compare the profile with any visible sign in Street View, using a link zoomed to the sign. Look at the business’s own About page. Search ASIC’s registers for a registered business or trading name, and check the relevant WA trade-licence register where applicable. The register is a cross-check, not a verdict: a legal entity name may differ from a genuine trading name, and an absent search result alone does not establish a fake.
Check the location. If an address is displayed, search it. Is there a mail service or virtual office at that address? What does Street View show, and are several unrelated profiles pinned to the same spot? Take your own dated photo of the location if it is appropriate and safe. A shared address or an old Street View image calls for further checking, not an automatic accusation.
Check the contact. If you can make an ordinary enquiry, note how the listed number is answered. A generic “Hello, plumber” might prompt another check; it does not prove the listing is fake. Hawkins suggests a Gmail call with caller identification masked for this check. Do not misrepresent yourself, record a call without following applicable law, or publish anyone’s personal details.

For a report to Google, attach direct evidence: government records where relevant, the business’s own site, precise Street View links and photos you took. Do not use Yelp or Facebook pages as proof of a business’s legal name. The ASIC and Australian licensing checks are Optimise Online’s adaptation of Hawkins’ US-focused register checks; they are not instructions issued by Google.

Should you use “Suggest an edit” or the Redressal Form?

For a clear, one-off correction, open the listing in Google Maps and select “Suggest an edit”. Use “Change name or other details” if the name is wrong. If a location genuinely does not exist or the profile appears fake, use “Remove this place” and the most accurate reason offered. Do not choose a more serious reason just to make the report seem urgent. Hawkins notes that the edit option appears in Maps rather than the Local Finder in Google Search.

If the problem is substantial, involves multiple fake or ineligible listings, or a corrected name keeps reverting, use Google’s Business Redressal Complaint Form. Explain the specific guideline breach and include the evidence file. For Dave’s fictional case, that might be a Maps link, a dated image of the sign showing a different name, a link to the business’s own About page and any relevant ASIC or licence-register result. Separate observations from inferences. A form without that work is just an allegation.

An edit can correct a detail, but it may be rejected or changed back. The form is the route for a documented, more serious complaint. Google still decides the outcome. Hawkins reports a turnaround of about two weeks for that route, but Google does not promise that timing or a particular outcome. The complaint form may require you to sign in before you can open it.

What if Google denies the report or the listing comes back?

Keep a simple log: listing link, alleged issue, evidence links, report route, date submitted, result and any date the details reverted. Check your Google Maps contributions for a Maps edit’s status. Hawkins says accepted edits usually trigger an email; a rejected one may appear as “Not Applied” without an email. Do not assume silence means an approval.

If the name returns after an accepted edit, record the before-and-after evidence. Then submit a fresh, specific complaint through the Redressal Form and explain the documented history. A reinstated listing can also need another review. Persistence matters, but repeatedly submitting unsupported reports is not a strategy.

Before reporting, look at the surrounding results too. Hawkins has seen a spam listing filter another listing; removing it can sometimes help a different competitor rather than yours. The aim is an accurate map. Nobody can promise you a top-three position. Start with one well-evidenced case and track it. While you are in there, check that your own listing follows the same rules, then keep it active. Google Business Profile posts now show view counts, which gives you one more way to see whether your profile is being seen.