Phishing: fake Google ads on “my business” search
Phishing via paid Google ads is, unfortunately, no longer a fringe issue. Ads increasingly appear that do not lead to legitimate offers but harvest login credentials for various platforms—including your Google account. A recent warning highlights a particularly risky pattern: when users search for “my business,” they often land on a fake ad that mimics the entry point to Google Business Profile.
Many businesses use the query “my business” as a shortcut to sign in to Google Business Profile. Instead of Google’s official interface, users click an ad that looks like a helpful direct link. Behind it is often a phishing page that captures username and password and lets attackers take over the account.
Why the “my business” search is a weak spot
Local SEO teams and small-location owners work in Business Profile every day: hours, reviews, photos, posts, and Maps links. The Google login path is familiar but not always saved as a fixed bookmark. A quick Google search for “my business” feels practical—and fraudsters exploit exactly that habit.
Paid ads sit prominently above or among organic results. A professionally designed ad with trustworthy copy can be hard for non-experts to distinguish from official Google help. After the click, a login form that looks like Google opens—but runs on a third-party domain.
Impact of account takeover
Giving up credentials risks more than a one-time login loss. Attackers can redirect business profiles, swap phone numbers and websites, manipulate reviews, or publish spam posts. For local visibility that is critical: wrong contact data in Maps and search hurts trust, revenue, and brand image alike.
- Changing business name, address, or hours to fraudulent details
- Redirecting the website URL to phishing or malware pages
- Locking out legitimate access via password changes and recovery abuse
- Misuse of linked Google Ads or Analytics accounts when the same login is used
How teams spot fake Google ads
Not every SERP ad is fraudulent, but a fixed checklist before entering credentials pays off. Check the visible display URL and the destination after the click: Google sign-in for Business Profile uses official Google domains, not unknown short domains or typo variants.
Safe paths include bookmarks to business.google.com, sign-in via the Google account menu, or links from Search Console and internal playbooks. If an ad promises “instant login” or pressures with “account locked,” treat it as suspicious.
Protection for agencies and locations
Technical and organizational controls reduce risk sharply. Two-factor authentication for all Google accounts with Business Profile access should be standard. Profile roles should follow least privilege: only those who need daily edits get owner or manager rights.
Training franchise partners, store managers, and marketing assistants matters as much as training SEO teams. Many attacks fail only at human click behavior. Document the official login path in onboarding and ban generic searches like “my business” without prior URL verification in internal policies.
After a successful phishing attack
If credentials may be compromised, change passwords immediately over a secure channel and end all active sessions. Review Business Profile audit logs and recent NAP, category, and link changes. Report the fraudulent ad through Google’s ad reporting channels and keep screenshots of ad copy, display URL, and landing page for follow-up.
Relevance for SEO, local SEO, and paid search
The topic links paid media and organic local search presence. Brands running Google Ads compete in the same SERP with fraudsters abusing brand and navigation terms. For SEO leads, account security is part of local SEO governance—not only rankings.
Search marketing teams should align with local SEO owners on which official URLs are communicated and whether brand keywords in ads are monitored to catch typosquatting and phishing ads early. Monitoring “my business” and brand plus “login” can trigger alerts when new suspicious ads appear.
What users and the platform need to do
Google invests in policy enforcement and user reports, yet individual ads still slip through temporarily. Responsibility stays shared: platform filters plus disciplined login habits by advertisers and profile owners. Teams that treat Business Profile as core local SEO should handle ad phishing as an operational incident—not a rare IT edge case.
Defined emergency contacts, a short recovery plan, and regular permission reviews in the Google business group save days when restoring correct business data in Maps and local search. Combined with 2FA and mandatory login URLs, teams lower the odds that a harmless search shortcut becomes an account-takeover vector.
The warning makes clear: paid visibility on Google can also be used by attackers who trade on trust in the Google brand. Typing “my business” into search does not mean the top ad is the fastest route to the real Business Profile—it may be the costliest click of the day.
