Why You Should Stop Clicking Google Ad Links
We all use Google so we are all used to the quirks of Google, sponsored links are one of the most visible. These links appear at the top of any Google search, depending on who pays the most to be there. While these links may be largely irrelevant to what you’re actually looking for, they sometimes make money. However, even if you think your search is related to a sponsored link, don’t click on it. This could be a scam.
The latest example of the heinous abuse of Google Ads has reached us via Twitter. Author Cory Doctorow tweeted about his experience trying to place a takeaway order at a local Thai establishment. When Doctorow Googled the name of Kiin Thai Eatery, he naturally clicked on the first result that came up, which turned out to be a sponsored link.
Who cares, right? A link is a link. That is, unless someone stole the identity of the restaurant, which happened in this case.
Link uploaded to a website posing as Kiin Thai Eatery inviting Doctorow to place an order. He did and paid for the food, but shortly after, he got a call from Kiin Thai Eatery. The restaurant told Doctorow that it had received an order from a known fraudster. The scammer set up a fake website imitating the Kiin Thai Eatery menu, raised prices by 15%, and placed an order at a real restaurant in Doctorow’s name, hoping no one would notice.
Luckily Kiin Thai Eatery did this and subsequently canceled the order. But Doctorow was still on the hook for the plural charges, as the scammers also double-charged Doctorow for a fake order. Doctorow’s experience raises two main issues: why did American Express issue a commercial license to scammers using Wix’s phone number and not the company’s official number? And why would Google give scammers a sponsored promotional card if one already exists for a real restaurant?
These scammers are uncovering a potential underground world of micro-theft. Unsuspecting customers make premium payments through a dubious intermediary who then passes the order on to the real seller, pocketing the difference. Of course, as Doctorow points out , this isn’t much different than what third-party catering services do. Of course, you never gave consent to order through these scammers.
This type of scam is nothing new. According to which? 2020 investigation , scammers can create fake business ads on Google “within hours”, starting with a fraudulent Facebook business page and continuing from there. In addition, it’s not just fake businesses that you need to watch out for: attackers will also add malware to Google Ads , infecting your system when you click on a link they think is useful and legitimate.
In short, Google is not going to solve this problem anytime soon. It doesn’t help the company make most of its money from ads , so there’s really no incentive. The safest option is to avoid sponsored links (and other ads) altogether. Either way, it’s good Google search practice: often these links aren’t what you’re looking for, or if they are, they take you to “deals” or other pages that you’re not interested in. Scroll down a little each time. you are looking for and you won’t have to worry about supporting a scammer.