Google listing hijacked

Louis

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Dec 11, 2006
Messages
1,251
Location
Modesto, CA
Name
Louis
So it has been very slow lately so I decided to check things out. Someone had taken ownership of my google listing. It took a few days to get it back. My address had been removed. A competitor of mine has changed his name to pro carpet & tile cleaning. My company is Procare carpet & tile cleaning. He also changed his location to an apartment complex a few blocks away. He is a shady bait and switch company that parks his van a corner with a $99 sign on it.
How can I protect myself from someone doing this again?
 

FredC

Village Idiot
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
26,227
Was it actually taken over or did google merge them because of similarities?

Edit: You weren't kidding. He is less than a thousand feet from you but I still don't know what actually happened. There should be no way to "take it over" without access to your mail (postcard verification). Are you suggesting it was this guy or just trying to prevent it?


this sound more like a glitch unless it was somebody you gave access to the listing
 
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Hack Attack

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Dec 19, 2017
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further south than you
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Dan
was your profile only filled out and not verified?

I see a few listings like this guy outside my area and it looks like I could claim it?

Not a google guru so maybe I'm wrong
20200227_092335.jpg
 
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Louis

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Dec 11, 2006
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Modesto, CA
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Louis
I did the post card verify. I have been in business for 15 years and just went through the whole location thing with google. When I tried to get into my google business listing It wouldn't let me access it. It had to sent a request to the owner and I would have to wait a few days. If they did not respond I could get the listing back.
This when I noticed my address was gone and this yahoo had moved right next to me and changed his name. Changed my password and did some updating.
 

Cleanworks

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New Westminster,BC
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Ron Marriott
I did the post card verify. I have been in business for 15 years and just went through the whole location thing with google. When I tried to get into my google business listing It wouldn't let me access it. It had to sent a request to the owner and I would have to wait a few days. If they did not respond I could get the listing back.
This when I noticed my address was gone and this yahoo had moved right next to me and changed his name. Changed my password and did some updating.
Go next door and punch him out.
 

Hack Attack

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2017
Messages
5,620
Location
further south than you
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Dan
I did the post card verify. I have been in business for 15 years and just went through the whole location thing with google. When I tried to get into my google business listing It wouldn't let me access it. It had to sent a request to the owner and I would have to wait a few days. If they did not respond I could get the listing back.
This when I noticed my address was gone and this yahoo had moved right next to me and changed his name. Changed my password and did some updating.
you haven't got a duplicate listing?
I did that accidently once, and google wouldnt let me make any visible changes until I deleted the other
 

Louis

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Modesto, CA
Name
Louis
I don't believe I had duplicate locations. I checked my other emails to see if they were trying to contact me. Nothing.
 

SamIam

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Aug 9, 2012
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11,094
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California
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sam miller
Was it actually taken over or did google merge them because of similarities?

Edit: You weren't kidding. He is less than a thousand feet from you but I still don't know what actually happened. There should be no way to "take it over" without access to your mail (postcard verification). Are you suggesting it was this guy or just trying to prevent it?


this sound more like a glitch unless it was somebody you gave access to the listing


Maybe he didnt claim it?
 

FredC

Village Idiot
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
26,227
What seems most plausible is that the address, being a residential address, was hidden by either him or google in the past per the rule change in 2012ish........................then he tried to access it from a different email after noticing
 

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