How to Report a Fake Google Business Listing (And Make It Stick)

To report a fake Google business listing, open it in Google Maps, select “Suggest an edit”, then “Place is closed or not here”, and choose “Offensive, harmful, or misleading” or the option saying it doesn’t exist at that location. For listings with misleading names, phone numbers or websites that suggest fraud, use Google’s Business Redressal Complaint form instead, and attach evidence. Google reviews reports and decides what to remove.

The reports that work are the ones that make Google’s job easy: a clear reason, a specific rule the listing breaks, and proof. The rest of this guide shows you how to build that kind of report.

How to tell if a listing is fake or spam

Not every listing you dislike breaks the rules. Google’s guidelines for representing a business give you a checklist. These are the patterns that most often point to a fake or ineligible listing.

Lead-generation pins

These are listings created to capture calls, not to represent a real local business. You’ll often see several near-identical listings for locksmiths, garage door repair, water damage or towing, each at a different address, all routing to the same call center. Clues include a generic name, no website or a thin one-page site, stock photos, and a phone number that answers with “Hi, how can I help?” rather than a business name.

Keyword-stuffed business names

Google’s guidelines say the name on a profile should match the business’s real-world name, as it appears on signage, stationery and branding. A name like “Smith Plumbing | 24/7 Emergency Plumber Near Me Dallas” breaks that rule unless the business genuinely trades under that exact name. Stuffed names aren’t always fake businesses, but they are a policy violation you can report.

Virtual office and mailbox addresses

Google states that a virtual office, a rented mailing address where the business doesn’t actually operate, isn’t eligible for a Business Profile. Co-working spaces only qualify when the business has signage, receives customers there and is staffed during business hours. Search the address: if it’s a shared office suite, a UPS store or a building with dozens of unrelated listings, that’s a strong signal.

Other warning signs

• A cluster of listings from the same “company” spread evenly across a city.
• Reviews that are all five stars, posted in bursts, from accounts with no other activity.
• An address that street-level imagery shows is a house, an empty lot or a different business.
• A listing that copies your name, logo or photos (covered below).

Which reporting route to use

Route	Best for	Where
Suggest an edit	Wrong names, wrong categories, listings that don’t exist at the address, closed businesses, duplicates	On the listing in Google Maps or Search
Business Redressal Complaint form	Misleading names, phone numbers or websites that suggest fraud, and batches of spam listings	Linked from Google’s Maps and Business Profile help pages
Other report options on the listing	Conduct that breaks Google’s policies, such as offering incentives in exchange for reviews	The listing’s menu in Google Maps (options vary by app and device)
Report the reviews	Fake reviews on a listing	On each review

How to report through Suggest an edit

1. Sign in to your Google account and find the listing in Google Maps.
2. Select “Suggest an edit”.
3. To remove it, choose “Place is closed or not here”, then the reason: that it doesn’t exist at the location, or that it’s offensive, harmful or misleading.
4. To fix a stuffed name instead, choose the option to change the name or other details, and enter the business’s real-world name.
5. Submit. You can usually track your contributions from your Google Maps profile.

Suggestions are quick but carry no evidence. They work best for obvious cases. When a listing survives one suggestion, move up to the complaint form rather than repeating the same edit.

How to use the Business Redressal Complaint form

Google describes this form as the way to report misleading business names, phone numbers or website URLs on Maps that raise suspicion of fraudulent activity. It is the stronger route because you can explain the problem and include supporting links.

1. Find the form through Google’s help pages on reporting a business on Maps. Search for its name if the link has moved.
2. Enter your own details and the Maps link for each listing you’re reporting. Google says you can report several at once, including by uploading a spreadsheet of listing URLs.
3. Explain clearly which guideline each listing breaks: “virtual office address”, “keyword-stuffed name”, “no business at this address”, “impersonates our business”.
4. Add your evidence (see the next section) and submit.

Keep your language factual. “This listing uses a virtual office at a mailbox store; photos attached” is more useful to a reviewer than a paragraph about how unfair your competitor is.

Evidence to gather before you report

• Screenshots of the listing, with the date, showing the name, address, phone number and website.
• Street-level imagery or your own photos of the address showing no signage, a residence or a different business.
• Proof of the real-world name, such as the business’s own website, invoices or state business registration, when reporting a stuffed name.
• Address checks: evidence that the address is a mailbox store, a virtual office provider or a building with many unrelated listings.
• Call notes: if you called the number, how it was answered and whether the caller could name an address.
• Patterns: a list of the linked listings that share a phone number, website or photos.

Keep everything in one folder. If the first report doesn’t work, you’ll want it for a follow-up or a post in the Google Business Profile community forum, where volunteer Product Experts sometimes escalate well-documented spam.

If the fake listing impersonates your business

Sometimes the fake listing isn’t a competitor but a copy of you: your name and photos with someone else’s phone number, often to intercept customers or take payments.

1. Make sure your real profile is verified and you hold primary ownership. A verified profile is your best evidence.
2. Screenshot the fake listing and, if possible, any evidence of customers being misled, such as a complaint or a review mentioning the wrong number.
3. File the Business Redressal Complaint form, include a link to your verified profile and your website, and explain which details were copied.
4. Tell customers where to find you. A short post on your website and social accounts naming your real phone number helps while Google reviews the report.

If the impersonation extends to fake websites, social profiles or payment fraud, our guide on what to do if someone is impersonating you online covers those routes, including when to involve law enforcement.

A worked example

This scenario is illustrative. An independent locksmith notices four new listings within two miles of her shop, each named along the lines of “Locksmith Near Me 24 Hour”, each with no website and a different out-of-state phone number that goes to the same call center.

1. She looks up each address. Two are mailbox stores, one is a house and one is an empty storefront.
2. She takes dated screenshots of each listing and saves street-level images of the addresses.
3. She calls two numbers. Both answer generically and can’t give a street address.
4. She files one Business Redressal Complaint form listing all four URLs, noting the mailbox addresses, the residence, the shared call center and the keyword-stuffed names.
5. Three weeks later, two listings have gone and one has had its name corrected. She resubmits the remaining one with extra evidence and posts the details in the Business Profile community forum.

This is a realistic outcome: partial success on the first attempt, then persistence with better evidence.

Realistic expectations

• Google decides. You can’t force a removal, and Google doesn’t always explain its decisions.
• Timing varies. Some reports are acted on within days; others take weeks or need resubmitting.
• Spam can return. Lead-generation networks sometimes recreate listings under new names. Check the area every month or two.
• Rankings may not change. Removing fake competitors can help real businesses appear, but Maps rankings depend on many factors.

If a listing turns out to be a genuine business that has closed or duplicated itself rather than a fake, see our guide on removing a Google business listing. For ongoing checks on your own profile and the listings around it, our Google Business Profile management service includes spam reporting.

Frequently asked questions

Can I report a competitor's Google listing?

Yes, if it breaks Google’s guidelines, for example with a keyword-stuffed name, a virtual office address or a location where no business operates. You can’t get a genuine competitor removed simply because they rank above you.

What is the Business Redressal Complaint form?

It’s Google’s form for reporting business listings with misleading names, phone numbers or websites that suggest fraud. It lets you explain the problem, add links and report several listings at once, which makes it stronger than a simple edit suggestion.

How long does Google take to remove a fake listing?

There’s no fixed timeline. Some reports are handled in days, others take weeks, and some need resubmitting with more evidence. Clear, documented reports tend to get acted on more reliably.

Will reporting a fake listing get me in trouble?

No, as long as your report is honest. Reporting genuine violations is what Google’s tools are for. Filing false reports or suggesting false edits about a real competitor, on the other hand, breaks Google’s rules.