Scammers edit Google Maps bank listings to trick and defraud people

Scammers
have found a new avenue for defrauding unsuspecting victims:
Google Maps.
LM
Otero/AP

• Scammers are using Google Maps to trick people into
  giving up their bank details.
• The app lets users edit and update listings, so the
  fraudsters are changing banks’ phone numbers to their
  own.
• Victims then call them up and give up their details
  without ever realise something’s gone wrong.

Scammers have found a new avenue for defrauding unsuspecting
victims: Google Maps.

The Google-run online map service lets users submit changes and
corrections to listings — so would-be fraudsters are changing the
contact details listed for banks on the app. Then, when
unsuspecting bank customers ring up what they think is their
financial institution, the scammers extract their private banking
details and use it to empty their accounts.

Police in Maharashtra, India, put out a warning
about the scam after hearing of multiple cases in the last month,

as earlier reported by The Hindu. But while their warning
specifically applies to scammers in India, there’s nothing to
stop criminals elsewhere in the world from trying to pull the
scheme off.

It’s a cautionary warning that the information on Google Maps
isn’t always as trustworthy as it might appear.

A Google spokesperson did not immediately respond to Business
Insider’s request for comment, but one previously told The
Hindu: “Overall, allowing users to suggest edits
provides comprehensive and up-to-date info, but we recognise
there may be occasional inaccuracies or bad edits suggested by
them. When this happens, we do our best to address the issue as
quickly as possible.”

To stay safe, don’t trust any phone number purporting to be
your bank online unless it’s on their website, or listed on the
back of your debit or credit card.