A user on one of the Streetview Trusted Photographer pages on Facebook is trying to buy Google accounts and offering to sell Google My Business listing.
Can anything be done about this?II presume it’s hard given there’s probably no direct link back to a Google account unless he’s an idiot?
I have unedited versions, a link to his profile etc if anyone needs it.
Great discover, @turbotapeworm
It is good to report this kind of fraud, even if I would love to report the possible customers too. I can’t believe someone is buying a business listing located somewhere.
Time by time we see also people who want to sell “high level Local Guides accounts”.
Wonder why the admin didn’t banned this subject
As I saw this on FB I reported it to the group administrators on FB.
Cheers
Morten
I reported too @MortenCopenhagen but they’re pretty poor at running that particular page and it just made me curious if there’s anything we can do to stop people like this.
Also how much is a level 10 account worth? 
I once started chatting with a scammer who wanted to sell a level 10 LG account for 50 USD. I asked to see the profile but all he gave me was a screenshot of a fake profile page. The orange points bar graph was drawn incorrectly so it was piece of cake to identify this as fraudulent.
I tried to get the Google Moderators to step in, but they warned me since scammes, might get angry and seek revenge…
Selling a profile is possible I guess because some incorrectly believe there is extra editing power and opportunities to verify businesses associated with being level 10.
Don’t fall for this scam. Who would ever part with all their data, emails, reviews and photos for 50 USD?
Crazy
Morten
Another interesting variation, I hadn’t considered fiverr would be somewhere they might hang out.
https://www.fiverr.com/sun_re/do-19569-map-citation-and-gives-guaranteed-local-map-ranking
(Post reported obviously)
It seems very strange if not stupid that someone would pay for a used Google Account just to get the trusted badge or a higher Local Guides level.
You would be responsible for what ever contributions the previous owner made on Google Maps. So I would think this is just another scam. If you pay money for such a profile you will lose your money and not get a new account. I think. Or the contributions will be of very low quality and hence you are likely to get suspended and thereby loose all contributions you may have made.
If a buyer believes the trusted badge is valuable by giving magic editing power, or maybe the power to verify GMB listings then they are going to be very disappointed on all three counts.
It only takes uploading of 50 spheres. This can be done in a day or two and will earn you the trusted badge that gives you absolutely no extra editing power and certainly no privileges to verify GMB listings.
Do you agree?
Cheers
Morten
I completely agree @MortenCopenhagen - it makes no sense to me at all from this side of the fence or trying to understand it from a business / user point of view just starting out. It’s like the Facebook scam pages designed to just gain followers and likes so they can then change the name and sell the page on to someone, surely once people realise “win this car” is now “buy cream for your itchy bottom” they leave and make all the effort pointless.
Just like a Google account full of fake content just to get a ranking or a badge, anyone wanting to actually use those services would surely check the quality of past work only to find none exists and anyone buying an account like that is going to quickly realise they could have achieve all the same things (plus real organic growth) just by starting from scratch themselves.
I don’t know about you but I didn’t suddenly find my world changed once I unlocked level 10, I don’t have companies chasing me to go review them like some odd influencer (I dislike that whole concept), I’m just “average Joe customer” like everyone else.
The fiverr example above is a really odd one as I can’t understand what he’s actually offering really, it appears to be the creation of a GMB listing and then populating it with content (including geotagged images… presumably supplied to him rather than fake ones?), it’s all very strange but I find it quite fascinating at the same time.
Maybe we’re all missing out, this guy wants £14 > £30 to add a business on Maps 
https://www.fiverr.com/yourimpact/add-your-business-on-google-maps
Another supposedly selling level 10 accounts on the “Google Local Guides” Facebook group. Presumably a scam but the number of people asking questions and showing interest is disappointing.
https://www.facebook.com/maliha.marjia.35
Reported to the group admin obviously but would it be great if Google themselves could put some time in to eliminate these people.
