Several employees on campus have been receiving calls ask them to verify their business on Google.  The caller is a recorded voice or robo call. If you choose to press 1, you are connected to a person who tries to sell you a service.  They are not from Google, but are using Google’s name to sound legitimate. Their service is a scam as verification of a business on Google is done through snail mail, and there is no charge for it.

If you receive a robo call, make note of the organization calling and hang up.  You can then contact the organization directly and determine if they have a legitimate need to contact you.  Robo calls are usually trying to sell you something or are scams.

Scammers don’t just use robo calls to con you out of your hard earned money.  They will call you directly as well, creating a sense of urgency to trick you into signing up for an over priced service that you don’t need.  If a person calls you and asks for payment of a service over the phone, ask for the name of the organization and tell them you will call them back.  Google them and check reviews of their service. If you decide that you do want to sign up,  contact the organization directly using the contact information found in the Google search.  Do not be tricked into using a phone number that the caller gives you. If they are legitimate, you will be able to contact them using a publicly available number.