A phone number you do not recognize is sitting in a photo on your Google listing, and it invites customers to call someone else. Report that specific photo to Google today. You cannot delete a customer's photo yourself, but Google reviews reported photos and may remove them.
While that review runs, you have three jobs: save proof of the photo, confirm that your real number is correct on your profile and your website, and tell your staff which number customers should use. Each one is small, and none of them needs a vendor.
Google says review can take several working days and gives no fixed deadline for removal. That is why the real calls are worth protecting in the meantime.
Key Takeaways
Open the customer photo and use Report a problem in Google Search, or More and Report in Google Maps. Repeated reports for the same content may delay review.
A customer photo is not removable with your normal photo controls. Google decides whether it breaks the Maps policy.
Correcting the number on your profile helps customers who tap Call, but it leaves the number inside the image untouched.
Check your profile fields, managers and access, and ask staff what callers said before you assume customers were diverted.
How do you report a fake phone number in a Google Maps photo?
Open your Business Profile in Google Search, select Photos, and choose View all photos. Open the customer photo, select Report a problem, choose the reason that fits, and submit. Google lays out these steps on its page about reporting inappropriate photos or videos.
In the Google Maps app, select Business, then See Business Profile, then Photos. Choose the image, select More, then Report. Pick a reason such as Spam or Personal information and submit.
Report the photo itself, not your whole profile and not a review. Pick the closest reason that is true. Google says it reviews the photo and may remove it, and that review can take several working days. Send one report per photo, because Google warns that repeated reports for the same content may delay review.
What should you save before you report it?
Save the evidence first, because a photo can change or disappear once Google acts on it. Open your listing the way a customer would, find the photo, and capture it while it is still there.
Take screenshots that show the photo, the profile name and the fake number. Copy the photo's web address. Write down the name of the contributor and the date, if the page shows one. Then add the date you found it and who told you, if someone else spotted it.
Look for more than one photo while you are there. On the Maps app, the Updates tab under By visitors can show customer photo updates. Scan every image for phone numbers, web addresses, QR codes or altered signs that point customers to a different way of reaching you.
Can you delete a customer's photo yourself?
No. Photos that customers add are reviewed under Google's policies, and the business owner's own photo controls do not remove them. Google explains how it handles these in its page on photo updates from customers.
What you can do is ask for a review. Google's Maps content policy prohibits impersonation and misrepresentation. It says, "Don't use Google Maps to impersonate any person, group, or organization," and it covers "distorting or omitting facts to scam other users." A photo that presents a stranger's number as yours may fit those rules when it is misleading or meant to divert your customers.
Google makes the call. A report asks for a review; it is not an instant takedown.
How do you protect your real calls while Google reviews it?
Start with the number Google already shows for you. In your profile, go to Edit profile, then Contact, then Phone number, and confirm it is the number you want customers to dial. Google allows a primary number and up to two additional ones, as its page on adding your phone number explains.
Google's guidelines for representing your business say the number should connect to your individual location, be under your direct control, and not send callers to another business. Check that your website shows the same number on the contact page, in the header and on service pages.
Then tell your staff which number is real, so anyone who answers can say so to a confused caller. The Call button on your profile uses your verified number, so customers who tap it are not affected by what a photo says.
A profile post can point customers to your contact page, but Google may reject posts that carry phone numbers it has not verified. Changing the phone field also does not edit the number printed inside a photo. Only the report can take the image down.
| What you see | Where the fix lives | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A stranger's number inside a customer photo | The photo | Report that photo and save proof |
| A wrong number in your profile phone field or on your site | Your profile and website | Correct it and match both |
| Owners or managers you do not recognize, or fields changed | Account access | Review who has access and follow the hacked-profile steps |
What if a customer already called the fake number?
Ask the customer what happened and write it down. Record the date, the number they dialed, what the person on the line asked for, and whether the customer paid or shared anything. Keep it to what they volunteer. Do not ask for card numbers, passwords or other sensitive details.
A number in a photo shows what was posted, not who dialed it. Wait for a customer or a call record before you say anyone reached the scammer.
Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The form includes "an impersonator" and asks whether someone pretended to be a business. Include your business name, the fake number, the listing link, the date you found it, screenshots, call records, customer reports and any request for payment or personal information.
If a customer lost money or shared sensitive information, they should file their own report too. Internet-enabled fraud can also go to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. The FTC's page on business impersonator scams says these scams can arrive by call, text, email or social media message that looks like it came from a familiar business, and it tells people not to call numbers supplied in unexpected messages. If you hear about more calls like this, our post on Google Business Profile scam calls covers what to do next.
Is a fake number in a photo the same as a hacked profile?
Not by itself. A single misleading customer photo does not mean someone broke into your account. The first question is whether your profile phone field, website, owners and managers are all still what you set.
If those are intact, you have a photo problem and the steps above handle it. If you see changed fields, unfamiliar managers or a locked-out owner, treat it as an access problem and follow our post on a hacked Google Business Profile.
One more note on photos. If your own images are not appearing as expected after you clean this up, our post on Google Business Profile photos not showing covers those causes. Google's photo content policy describes what Business Profile photos are allowed to show.
When is it worth getting help?
You can report one photo and verify one number on your own, in an afternoon. Help makes sense when the situation is bigger than that.
That includes a photo that keeps coming back after removal, several locations showing the same problem, unclear ownership or manager access, or a possible compromise that someone needs to check. It also covers keeping your number consistent across Google, your website and your directory listings once the immediate problem is over.
No provider can promise Google's decision or its timing, and none can promise that every missed call comes back. The value of outside help is organized monitoring, tidy records, consistent contact details and a second pair of eyes on account access.
Can you handle the fake number photo?
Pick an answer to begin.
1. Who decides whether a reported customer photo is removed?
2. You change the phone number in your profile. What happens to the number inside the photo?
3. A customer says they called the number in the photo. What should you record?
Frequently Asked Questions About a Fake Phone Number on a Google Maps Photo
Can a business delete a customer photo?
No. You can report it, and Google decides whether it breaks its policy.
How do I report a fake phone number in a Google Maps photo?
Open the photo in your Business Profile, select Report a problem in Search or More and Report in Maps, choose the reason, and submit.
How long will removal take?
Google says review can take several working days. It gives no fixed removal time, so keep the real number clear while you wait.
Does changing my profile phone number remove the number in the image?
No. It corrects the official phone field, but the image stays until Google removes it.
Should I report the whole profile?
Report the specific photo first. Report the contributor's profile as well if it keeps posting content that breaks the policy.
Where do I report the scam itself?
Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Internet-enabled fraud can also go to IC3.gov.
The Bottom Line
Report the exact photo through Search or Maps, save your proof first, and send one report per photo. Confirm the number on your profile and website, tell your staff which number is real, and write down what any caller was asked. Report the scam to the FTC if a customer was reached.
Doing this in order keeps your real calls coming in, gives Google what it needs to review the photo, and leaves you with a clean record if the same thing happens again.
If the photo returns, more than one location is affected, or you cannot tell who has access to your profile, Web Leveling can take that work on. Our Google Business Profile management keeps your number and details consistent and checks access, and we will say so when a single report is all you need. We work with small and medium businesses across the country and overseas. Contact us about your Google listing and we will look at it with you.
Terms
Words used in this post
Tap a term to see what it means.
Business Profile. A business's free listing on Google Search and Maps, formerly Google My Business.
Customer photo. An image added to a listing by a visitor, not by the business owner.
Impersonation. Presenting yourself as another person or business, which Google's Maps policy prohibits.
Misrepresentation. Distorting or leaving out facts in a way that can mislead other users.
Profile phone field. The number you set under Edit profile, Contact, which powers the Call button.
ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The Federal Trade Commission's site for reporting scams, including business impersonation.
