Recently, Google Maps has come with a major update wherein they are taking important steps to prevent scammers and fraudsters from listing fake businesses and hijacking unclaimed profiles. Further, to boost credibility businesses are purchasing fake 5-star reviews. Considering this situation, Google Maps is crediting its advanced AI Gemini, to detect and remove fake reviews and listings within Google Maps. This is indeed a timely move to safeguard the integrity and privacy of Google Maps.
Google mentioned its view on this by saying, “AI has played a vital role in stopping the scammers in their tracks, and we’re now using it to scale the protection even more!” In the past year, we took down over 10,000 listings run by scammers who impersonated legitimate locksmiths, took over unclaimed Business Profiles, and took advantage of unsuspecting customers with fees.”
“Thus, the new model has helped us a lot in blocking thousands of suspicious Business Profile this year, “Google added.
Gemini: The Power-Packed AI
Google is using Gemini to protect against spammers across its Maps and Business Profiles. This AI model can easily differentiate between a genuine standard update to suspicious behavior such as changing the business category from “cafe” to “plumber,” or a name update from “Zoe’s Coffee House” to “Zoe’s Cafe!”
Google has trained the model likewise that tracks suspicious activity immediately.
Stopping Fake Five-Star Reviews
Gemini AI will also help to spot fake five-star reviews, as many businesses are trying to flood their accounts with reviews, in response to improve their online reputation. By tracking review patterns over time, Gemini can detect sudden spikes in ratings or recognize reviews from users with no verified interaction with the business.
Google has already begun rolling out warnings in the US, India and UK when suspicious reviews are taken down, with a global rollout planned.
Eye-Opening Metrics of 2024
- Google has blocked more than 240 million policies that were violated since 2024.
- Google removed or completely blocked over 12 million fake Google My Business Profiles.
- Another whopping number is 70 million places that violate the policy on Google Maps.
Real-World Effect: Combating Scams and Respecting Users
The ultimate effect of these modifications is building trust among the users. One of its notable cases was Google deleting more than 10,000+ fake listings operated by malicious actors who hijacked unclaimed profiles to scam people. The listings were not only deleted but also legal action was taken, highlighting the abuse.
What Does this Update Mean for SEO People?
Here the main role is of the SEO professionals and the local marketers who are responsible for managing the online reputation of businesses. They need to start focusing more on genuine reviews and careful business profile management.
With AI systems now able to detect fraudulent activity even months after it has been done, marketers need to:
The below practices need to be considered:
- Keep an eye on Business Profiles for unauthorized updates.
- Invite genuine customer feedback.
- Use Google’s reporting feature to track competitors' suspicious activity.
AI is taking the centerstage everywhere. Thus, Google Maps leading the charge with the Gemini AI is a big leap in its policy ensuring it remains a trusted source of local information.
As artificial intelligence continues to improve, one thing is for sure — fake listings and spam reviews have never had a harder enemy!
Also Read: What are some common security measures taken by companies to protect customer data?
