Massive number of fake locations? Plus tons of review spam...where do I start?

[Sharon]

I went to get started on some local SEO for a client (I'm a sub for a larger agency and handle their local), and ran into an absolute MESS of spam.

So far I've found 9 listings for "My Plumber" in Hyattsville, Bowie, Annapolis, Rockville, and Chevy Chase Maryland, as well as two in Manassas Virginia. All but one of the street views show things like residential homes, a city park, a hotel, a medical clinic, etc. One looks like it may be a legit location (in an industrial area) but there's no street view for it.

One of the Manassas listings has 62 reviews, most of which look fake. Their Yelp page(s) also have numerous fake reviews, some of which have been filtered out.

Obviously this isn't just hurting my client, but every other real plumber in those areas.

Where do I even start in trying to get some of these removed? I reported them as duplicates, but beyond that what can I do?

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Hey Sharon,

There are many ways that you can report spam listings.

I find that using the "Report a Problem" link in Google Maps is a good start.

 

[Sharon]

I can't seem to get to that screen anymore (I've used it in the past).

This is what I'm seeing:

When I go to the +local page I can click on the edit business info, but the reporting options are more limited than I remember. It's suggesting an edit rather that reporting SPAM.

 

[Colan Nielsen]

That's the "top results" screen of the new Google Maps. There is a "Report a Problem" link in the bottom right corner of the new Google Maps results as well.

However, to report with the old/classic Google Maps use this link - https://www.google.com/maps?output=classic

Also, check out this thread to see how to get to the Classic Google Maps from the new Google Maps. http://localsearchforum.catalystema...2574-google-maps-sprouts-3-pack-more-yay.html