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I got a classic Google "Places" telemarketing scam fraud call.
Outright lie after outright lie!!!
Now I realize these calls happen to businesses all day long. We get a ton of complaints at the Google Forum. But you never know if the caller really lied and said they were with Google and would delete the listing, or if they just used tricky wording to imply it.
You don't understand how bad and intimidating these calls can be to a naive business owner, until you hear one like this. In this case, there was no implying or word games to just mislead...
He outright said my listing would be deleted in 72 hours if I didn't verify it with him.
He flat out lied and said he worked for Google TWICE!
I purposely played dumb and naive to draw more out of him.
(Ya, I'm not really as dumb as I sounded. Was playing him like a fiddle.
)
Below I will partly paraphrase. My carpal pain won't let me transcribe the whole thing word for word. But when I do catch an important point I can type exactly, it will be in quotes.
The initial robocall definitely said it was Google calling and my listing would be deleted[/B].
I started off saying to him: "The recording said my listing is in danger of being deleted or something?"
He said "Yes ma'am that is correct!"
Since the recording said it was Google calling, but he had come right out and said it yet, I gave him an out to change it or clarify the fact he didn't really work for Google.
I said "Oh you are in San Diego, so then you don't actually work for Google right?"
He said "Google IS in San Diego!"
I said "They are? So you are WITH Google?"
You can clearly hear him say "Yes I am! I'm sitting at my Google desk right now."
He said my listing was in danger of "being taken down" reason: "because you have not verified it."
I told him I verified it and asked is something wrong with it?
He said it needs to be refreshed and "reboost"???
Then he explains to reboost my listing is not monthly, but just a 299 one time fee.
So I questioned again why Google would delete me.
He said "Well it's not so much deletion, it's just that "we" (implying Google) have so many trying to get listings with us, it's just ridiculous, so to weed out... Blah, Blah, Blah...
FYI when he said let's take a look at your site - then I really tried to distract him because usually once they see I'm in the biz they hang up on me. The name Catalyst eMarketing should have been a clue. But I think he was new and pumped up to give his pitch and on a roll!
THIS PART IS CLASSIC...
Toward end he finally looked at my site and said yes I see your site here, the "Local Search Forum" but that did not stop him, he kept right on talking.
I could hear his boss or someone several times trying to get him to shut him up once they heard that.
And he kept whispering something like "Quit interrupting me, I got this!"
And continues to dig his hole.
When it came time for the credit card, I tried to sounded especially dumb & spacey to distract him, because I could hear his boss trying to shut him up and I needed to try to draw the real company name out of him. Since he said he was with Google, I really wanted to get that name. And finally got him to admit it!
Then at end I tell him who I am and what I do.
By then I swear I was so upset, my voice was just shaking and yes I got up on my high horse!
At that point, of course he hung up or likely his supervisor/trainer hung up FOR him.
You can almost visualize his boss doing a face palm and saying "Oh F*&^!
I kept trying to get you to shut up!"
Obviously, this is what you guys in the field are up against. $299 to "reboost" your listing and get you ranking... with a little intimidation and a few lies thrown in!
And you wonder why SMBs are scared and un-trusting. They get calls like this all day long!
Companies like this, give the industry a really bad name and I just wish they could be wiped out!
I'm going to share this with Google Local management and hope they can do something to close these guys down. To me it's outright fraud and impersonation. But of course this tape would not be allowed in court, so not sure what, if anything will come of it.
What do you think???
Have your clients ever complained about getting calls like this?
<meta property="og:type" content="article"><meta property="og:title" content=""><meta property="og:description" content="He outright said my listing would be deleted in 72 hours. He flat out lied and said he worked for Google. Recorded his lies...">
<meta property="og:image" content="http://marketing-blog.catalystemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ScamAlert.jpg">
Outright lie after outright lie!!!
Now I realize these calls happen to businesses all day long. We get a ton of complaints at the Google Forum. But you never know if the caller really lied and said they were with Google and would delete the listing, or if they just used tricky wording to imply it.
You don't understand how bad and intimidating these calls can be to a naive business owner, until you hear one like this. In this case, there was no implying or word games to just mislead...
He outright said my listing would be deleted in 72 hours if I didn't verify it with him.
He flat out lied and said he worked for Google TWICE!
I purposely played dumb and naive to draw more out of him.
(Ya, I'm not really as dumb as I sounded. Was playing him like a fiddle.
) Below I will partly paraphrase. My carpal pain won't let me transcribe the whole thing word for word. But when I do catch an important point I can type exactly, it will be in quotes.
The initial robocall definitely said it was Google calling and my listing would be deleted[/B].
I started off saying to him: "The recording said my listing is in danger of being deleted or something?"
He said "Yes ma'am that is correct!"
Since the recording said it was Google calling, but he had come right out and said it yet, I gave him an out to change it or clarify the fact he didn't really work for Google.
I said "Oh you are in San Diego, so then you don't actually work for Google right?"
He said "Google IS in San Diego!"
I said "They are? So you are WITH Google?"
You can clearly hear him say "Yes I am! I'm sitting at my Google desk right now."
He said my listing was in danger of "being taken down" reason: "because you have not verified it."
I told him I verified it and asked is something wrong with it?
He said it needs to be refreshed and "reboost"???
Then he explains to reboost my listing is not monthly, but just a 299 one time fee.
So I questioned again why Google would delete me.
He said "Well it's not so much deletion, it's just that "we" (implying Google) have so many trying to get listings with us, it's just ridiculous, so to weed out... Blah, Blah, Blah...
FYI when he said let's take a look at your site - then I really tried to distract him because usually once they see I'm in the biz they hang up on me. The name Catalyst eMarketing should have been a clue. But I think he was new and pumped up to give his pitch and on a roll!
THIS PART IS CLASSIC...
Toward end he finally looked at my site and said yes I see your site here, the "Local Search Forum" but that did not stop him, he kept right on talking.
I could hear his boss or someone several times trying to get him to shut him up once they heard that.
And he kept whispering something like "Quit interrupting me, I got this!"
And continues to dig his hole.
When it came time for the credit card, I tried to sounded especially dumb & spacey to distract him, because I could hear his boss trying to shut him up and I needed to try to draw the real company name out of him. Since he said he was with Google, I really wanted to get that name. And finally got him to admit it!
Then at end I tell him who I am and what I do.
By then I swear I was so upset, my voice was just shaking and yes I got up on my high horse!
At that point, of course he hung up or likely his supervisor/trainer hung up FOR him.
You can almost visualize his boss doing a face palm and saying "Oh F*&^!
I kept trying to get you to shut up!"
Obviously, this is what you guys in the field are up against. $299 to "reboost" your listing and get you ranking... with a little intimidation and a few lies thrown in!
And you wonder why SMBs are scared and un-trusting. They get calls like this all day long!
Companies like this, give the industry a really bad name and I just wish they could be wiped out!
I'm going to share this with Google Local management and hope they can do something to close these guys down. To me it's outright fraud and impersonation. But of course this tape would not be allowed in court, so not sure what, if anything will come of it.
What do you think???
Have your clients ever complained about getting calls like this?
<meta property="og:type" content="article"><meta property="og:title" content=""><meta property="og:description" content="He outright said my listing would be deleted in 72 hours. He flat out lied and said he worked for Google. Recorded his lies...">
<meta property="og:image" content="http://marketing-blog.catalystemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ScamAlert.jpg">
