Google Ads Impersonation Scam

< Return to Main Page

 

GOLDEN RULES:

1. Slow it down - Scams are often designed to create a sense of urgency. Take time to ask questions and think it through.
2. Spot check - Do your research to double check the details you are getting. Does what they’re telling you make sense?
3. Stop! Don’t send - No reputable person or agency will ever demand payment or your personal information on the spot.

 

You receive an unsolicited phone call or email from someone claiming to be from Google Ads.  They inform you of a change in billing for payments to your Google Ads account.  Then, you are emailed a notification which instructs you to change the bank and account number for future payments towards your Ads account.  The notice even contains what appears to be a Google Ads logo.

If you receive an Ads invoice by email which instructs you to make changes to where you send your payment and/or contains different payment information from previous invoices, you should log into your Ads account and review the invoice directly in your account.  Once you are logged into your account, click the gear icon and choose Billing & payments.  Click Transactions from the menu on the left, or find the "Transactions" card in the center of the page and click View transactions.  Once you have logged into your account and accessed your Transactions page, you can search for and download your invoices.  Your invoice will state the payment options available to you, and you will find Google’s banking details at the bottom.

For additional instructions on how to access this information, you can visit:

• Google Ads "Get an invoice, statement, or payment receipt"
• Google Ads "View your transactions"

In addition, you should notify your sales contact if you are unsure about how to make a payment or about where to send your payment.

We also encourage you to report the email as spam or phishing to your email provider. If you have Gmail, learn how to report spam and report phishing.  If you received the email from a Gmail address, you can report abuse to help Google take appropriate action on accounts involved in this scam.

Spam: The abuse of electronic messaging systems to indiscriminately send unsolicited bulk messages.

Phishing: Phishing is a type of online fraud where someone tries to trick the victim into revealing sensitive details such as a username, password or credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

Resources:

• Read more about suspicious emails or calls claiming to be from Ads.