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Hacker attack on Google map pins leads to a drop in local rankings and possible blocking

Theo

A few months ago, I posted about a possible Google Maps bug that was moving the pins on Google Maps to a location. I later updated the post to point out that it was more likely spam or a hacker attack. Yes, spammers are hijacking businesses’ locations on Google Maps by moving their pins, causing a drop in local rankings and potentially Google Business profile suspensions.

Darren Shaw posted a great video on social media, including X, showing how easy it is for spammers to exploit this on Google Maps. He even showed how when affected businesses try to reset their pins, they often get their Google Business profile suspended.

In short, if you’re looking for businesses in a specific area on Google Maps, you can edit the listing, then go to the edit location and drag the pin to the desired location.

Here are some screenshots:

Edit Google Map location

Edit Google Map Pin Move

Darren Shaw’s video explains that this is a much better way. Watch it here:

This issue has been going on for several months now, and I’m disappointed that the Google Maps team hasn’t fixed it yet. As you know, I reported on it last March, and Joy Hawkins has been writing about it since last year.

Here is one of her recent posts on this topic:

As Darren said, Google doesn’t currently notify you when someone moves your pin, so you have to pay attention to it manually. He also offers a service for $1 a month that will notify you about it.

Forum discussion at X.

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