Tell Google About Scam Rip Off Sites?

The search results you see in Google are a reflection of the Internet, Google doesn’t vet or screen businesses before including their web pages in the results.

All the pages Google knows about are ranked by a computer program and manual removals are extremely rare, usually because of one of these reasons:

1. An extreme case of spam that affects alot of users
2. Because Google received a copyright take down request
3. Because certain privacy based info was exposed, i.e. a credit card or ID number showing up in Google

Scam Sites

Everyone will have a different opinion on what a scam web site is. It could be that company which took your money and failed to deliver or could be that other business that delivered the wrong goods and then offered a below par customer service.

Could it be that website that sells goods at 3x the price of another trader?

Or perhaps that site which buried important information in the small print?

Not Something Google Can help You With

Search engines are the paths we use to find pages on the Internet but these same search engines cannot and will not get involved in a dispute between a customer and a web site. As there are tens of billions of web pages in existence, that policy should not come as a surprise.

If a scam site shows up in the search results of Google, it is most likely because that site exists on the web and Google will index almost all of the pages they discover.

Take Scam Sites Down at the Source

If you want to protect people from scam sites then here are two things you can do today:

1) Report the scam sites to the authorities:

FTC in America

Internet Crime Complaint Center

Complaints against foreign companies

2) Warn others by posting a review on a public website that appears in Google

How to Avoid Rip Off Sites in the First Place

Prevention is always better than cure, so try these tips:

• Never used this company before? Do a Google search and read any reviews from past customers, read through pages 2, 3 and 4 of the search results
• Look for safe secure payment methods such as Paypal
• Take the time to read the small print
• Never rush a decision and avoid sales tactics designed to rush you
• Always search the web for alternative products/services