Google Maps phone call hijacking is a scam where a bad actor uploads an image to your Google Business Profile that displays your real business name alongside a phone number they control. Customers see the familiar name, trust the photo and dial the wrong number. Your verified phone field stays untouched, so the attack is easy to miss. A documented case involved a roofing company whose calls were redirected after a contributor uploaded an AI-generated photo with a mismatched number. One contributor had uploaded photos across more than 150 unrelated businesses using the same number. Auditing your photo tab weekly, confirming call button behavior and escalating beyond a single report are the practical steps that stop the leak.
A roofing company in Metro Atlanta found out the hard way. A Google Maps contributor uploaded an AI-generated photo to the company’s Business Profile using the real business name but a phone number that did not belong to the roofer. The number redirected calls meant for the company.
This can hit a contractor in Roswell, a plumber near GA-400 or a service business competing around Windward, Avalon, Halcyon, Crabapple or downtown Alpharetta. If you serve Johns Creek, the same risk applies. Here is how to check your listing, catch the scam and protect the calls that keep your crews busy.
The Scam That Steals Calls Before They Ring Your Phone
A Google Maps photo scam places a fake phone number inside an image attached to your Business Profile. The photo may show your business name, a job site or a polished graphic. The caller thinks the image belongs to you. The person answering the wrong number gets the opportunity instead.
The process is simple and effective:
- A contributor uploads an image to your profile.
- The image displays your business name or service type.
- A different phone number appears inside the image.
- A homeowner calls that number instead of your verified listing number.
The image does not need to change the official phone field to create trouble. It only needs to appear prominently enough that a rushed customer trusts what they see first.
Naomi Stevens reported this exact situation involving a roofing company. Sam Sarsten surfaced the report and Search Engine Roundtable covered the case on September 10, 2026. The coverage documented an AI-generated image with the company name and a mismatched phone number.
Why This Works on Local Service Businesses
Contractors attract urgent searches. A homeowner with a roof leak or a failed water heater is not browsing for entertainment. They want a nearby company that answers quickly. On a phone, a recent-looking project photo can become the trust signal that pushes someone to call.
The scammer borrows several things at once:
- Your business name
- Your local reputation
- Your service category
- The visual proof of a completed job
That combination matters in Roswell, Alpharetta and Johns Creek where customers often search from the job site, a driveway or a kitchen with water spreading across the floor. They may not open your website. They may not compare three listings. They see a familiar name and a phone number inside a photo, then tap to call.
The photo becomes the trust object. The scammer does not need access to your phone system. They only need to place a competing number beside your identity.
How to Audit Your Own Photo Tab Right Now
You can perform a useful Google Business Profile photo audit in about ten minutes. Open the public listing as a customer would and inspect the photo tab, contributor details and call actions. You are looking for images that use your business identity while presenting a number your company does not control.
Open the Photo Tab and Sort by Contributor
Start with the public profile rather than assuming the owner dashboard shows everything in the same order. Review photos uploaded by your team first, then inspect images from regular contributors. Look for generic work scenes, strange branding, AI artifacts or phone numbers printed over the image.
Pay special attention to an image that looks like an advertisement rather than a customer photo. A clean graphic with your business name and a call prompt deserves immediate scrutiny.
Check Every Number in Every Photo
Compare every phone number printed on a photo against the verified business number on your profile and website. One digit can matter. A local area code does not make the number legitimate. A mismatch is enough to treat the image as suspicious until you confirm who uploaded it.
Take screenshots before reporting the image. Capture the photo, contributor name, profile URL and the date you found it. Evidence disappears when an image gets removed or replaced.
If you find a pattern across several listings, review your local SEO services plan as well. Local search protection should include listing monitoring, not only ranking work.
Check the Call Button Behavior
Tap the call button on your own listing from a phone that is not logged into the owner account. Confirm that it routes to the verified business number. Then open the suspicious photo and note the number shown inside the image. The official call action and the photo number should never conflict.
Why the Report Button Is Not Enough
Reporting the image remains necessary, but it should not be your entire response. Business owners can receive a generic answer that does not address the actual abuse. The report may enter a queue without giving you a clear owner, deadline or explanation of what happens next.
Naomi Stevens documented a canned response after reporting the image and contacting Google support. Search Engine Roundtable quoted a reply that pointed her toward common solutions without addressing the fake number inside the photo. That experience does not mean reporting is pointless. It means waiting quietly creates unnecessary risk.
The same coverage reported that a single contributor had uploaded photos with the same incorrect number across multiple unrelated businesses in the United States. That pattern points to organized abuse rather than an innocent upload.
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Make the report. Save the case details. Then create a record that another person can understand in under two minutes.
What Actually Got the Spam Removed
The documented removal followed visibility and escalation. The fake photos gained attention on LinkedIn before Google removed the contributor and images roughly a day later. That sequence gives owners a practical lesson: document the evidence, report through the proper channels and make the pattern visible when ordinary support does not respond.
Document Everything
Build one evidence folder before you send reports. Include screenshots of the image, the contributor account, the wrong number and your verified number. Record the discovery date, report date and every support or case ID you receive.
- Screenshot the full photo
- Save the contributor profile URL
- Record the number shown in the image
- Capture the official listing number
- Note related businesses using the same number
Escalate Through Multiple Channels
Submit the photo through Google’s reporting process and use the Maps problem report when available. Google’s help instructions explain how to report customer photos that violate policy. Report the contributor account too when the same person targets unrelated businesses.
Send a concise summary to Google Business Profile support. Use the same evidence in a trusted local SEO group or industry community. Your goal is not to create noise. Your goal is to show one repeatable abuse pattern with clear proof.
Go Public When Appropriate
A public post can help when it explains the scam without exposing private information. Show the fake image, identify the platform and describe the call-redirection risk. Do not publish personal addresses, private emails or information that helps a bad actor harass someone.
Tag relevant support channels and respected industry voices. Public attention does not replace a formal report. It gives the report a better chance of reaching a person who can act.
How to Protect Your Listing Going Forward
Your Google Business Profile is a public business asset. Other people can contribute photos and suggest changes even when they do not own the company. A short weekly review, clear account ownership and a written response plan can reduce the time a fake image stays in front of customers.
Confirm Ownership and Settings
Make sure the business owner or a trusted company email controls the profile. Review who has manager access and remove former employees or vendors who no longer need it. Learn where to report photos, contributor profiles and incorrect listing information before a crisis starts.
For ongoing support, Google Business Profile management should include ownership checks, photo review and response tracking rather than only profile edits.
Audit Photos Weekly
Choose one day each week for a five-minute review. Monday works well because it creates a clean starting point for the week. Check new contributor photos, unusual graphics and any image that contains contact details.
Ask one employee to complete the review and another person to handle escalation when something looks wrong. Two sets of eyes beat a listing that nobody checks.
Keep Your Verified Number Prominent
Your official business number should appear clearly in the profile, on your website and across your main business references. That will not prevent every fake image, but it gives customers a reliable number to compare before calling.
Train your office team to ask callers how they found the number if a lead sounds confused. A caller who mentions a number you do not recognize may have found a hijacked photo.
Watch for Duplicate Listings and Ownership Requests
Scammers may also create duplicate profiles or send ownership requests designed to pressure you into sharing access. Treat unexpected verification messages with suspicion. Never share a Google verification code with someone who claims to represent Google or promises to fix your listing by phone.
Fact Ledger
This ledger separates documented facts from practical guidance. The reported case comes from industry coverage published during this session. The reporting process and prevention steps reflect Google help documentation and direct operational advice for business owners. Where a claim depends on a single report, the ledger says so instead of treating it as an established fact.
| Claim | Source | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI-generated photo uploaded to a roofing company profile with a mismatched phone number | Search Engine Roundtable coverage of the phone number in photo scam | September 10, 2026 | Reported |
| One contributor had more than 150 photo uploads across unrelated United States businesses using the same incorrect number | Coverage quoting Naomi Stevens and Sam Sarsten | September 10, 2026 | Reported |
| Reporting the image produced a canned support response that did not address the issue | Quoted Google support response in the industry report | September 10, 2026 | Reported |
| Google removed the abusive contributor and scam photos about a day after the issue gained public attention | Updated Search Engine Roundtable report | September 11, 2026 | Reported |
| Business owners can report policy-violating photos from their Business Profile | Google instructions for reporting inappropriate photos on your Business Profile | September 14, 2026 | Current guidance |
Your Next Step
If you run a roofing company, plumbing business or other local service company, check your listing today. A suspicious contributor photo can sit beside your name while your office waits for calls that never arrive. We can review the listing, identify mismatched numbers and help you document the issue clearly.
Free 10-minute GBP spam audit: we will tell you if anyone is hijacking your listing. Start with a GBP spam audit and get a direct answer about what we find.
Frequently Asked Questions About Google Maps phone call hijacking
Why do I keep getting calls from Google Maps?
If you are a business owner, the most likely explanation is that Google Maps allows anyone with a Google account to suggest edits or upload photos to your Business Profile. A caller may have found a fake phone number placed inside a contributor-uploaded photo and dialed that instead of your verified number. The calls reach someone else, and your line stays quiet.
Why did Google Maps just call me?
Google does sometimes call businesses to verify hours or confirm listing details, but any unsolicited call claiming to be from Google Security or promising to fix your listing is a scam. If you received a call and are unsure, hang up and contact Google support directly through your Business Profile dashboard rather than returning the call.
How does Google Maps phone call hijacking actually work?
A scammer uploads an image to your Google Business Profile that displays your business name alongside a phone number they control. Customers see a familiar name and a call prompt inside what looks like a project photo, then dial the wrong number. The official phone field on your profile stays untouched, so the attack is easy to miss during a routine check.
What is a fake phone number scam on Google Maps?
It is a scheme where a bad actor uploads an image to a legitimate business listing. The image shows the real business name but prints a different phone number over it. Customers trust the image, call the fake number and reach the scammer instead of the actual company. The scammer documented in industry coverage had uploaded photos across more than 150 unrelated businesses using the same number.
Does Google call you to verify your business?
Google does use automated and live calls as one method to verify Business Profile ownership, but those calls happen when you initiate the verification process yourself. Any unsolicited call claiming to be from Google and asking for a verification code or account access is a scam. Never share a verification code with someone who contacts you first.
How do I check if someone hijacked my Google Maps listing?
Open your public Business Profile as a customer would and go straight to the photo tab. Sort by contributor and look for any image that shows your business name alongside a phone number. Compare every number in every photo against your verified business number. Also tap the call button from a phone not logged into the owner account and confirm it routes to you.
What should I do if I find a fake phone number in a photo on my listing?
Take screenshots of the photo, the contributor profile URL, the number shown and your verified number before doing anything else. Then report the image through your Business Profile and submit a Maps problem report. If support returns a generic reply without acting, escalate by documenting the pattern publicly and tagging relevant support channels. Evidence disappears when an image is removed, so capture it first.
Why is reporting the image to Google not enough?
Reporting is a necessary first step, but the documented case showed that Google support sent a canned reply that did not address the fake number inside the photo. The abusive photos were removed only after the issue gained public attention on LinkedIn, roughly a day later. Reporting alone is not a reliable timeline, so documenting and escalating through multiple channels improves your odds of a faster resolution.
How can I protect my Google Business Profile from phone hijacking going forward?
Set aside five minutes once a week to review new contributor photos for any image containing contact details. Confirm that only trusted company emails hold manager access and remove anyone who no longer needs it. Keep your verified number clearly visible on your profile and website so customers have a reliable number to compare. Train your team to ask callers how they found your number if a lead sounds confused.
Can spam calls about my Google listing be related to this scam?
Spam calls claiming to update or fix your Google listing are a separate but related problem. Those callers typically want account access or payment rather than trying to redirect your incoming calls. The photo hijacking scam described in this post works silently without ever contacting you. Both threats target your Business Profile, so verifying ownership settings and auditing your photos regularly addresses both risks at once.
