Domain Renewal and Google Listing Scam for Shops by SMS

How it looks by SMS, the red flags and what to do.

A text message is the cheapest way for a scammer to reach thousands of phones at once, and the sender name can look like a bank, a courier or a government office. Domain Renewal and Google Listing Scam for Shops is one of the ways this shows up: A small shop gets a domain-renewal invoice or a call to 'verify' its Google listing for a fee. Learn how these bills and calls work and how to check.

What domain renewal and google listing scam for shops looks like by SMS

• A very short message with a deadline such as "today" or "within 24 hours".
• A shortened or oddly spelled link that does not match the real website.
• A request to call a number, install an app or share an OTP.

Scammers take the shop's name, address and phone number from public listings and send a bill with a due date and a bank account. The invoice names a 'domain registry' or a 'search listing service' and sounds like a renewal. Owners who have a website or a listing may think it is a routine notice from the company that manages it, and pay without checking.

Red flags to check on the text message

• An invoice for a service you do not remember buying.
• A bill that names a generic registry or listing service, not your own provider.
• A call that asks you to read out a verification code.
• A threat that the listing will vanish in a day.
• The message asks for an OTP, PIN, card number or password.
• It threatens blocking, arrest, disconnection or a fine unless you act at once.

What to do

1. Do not pay. Check with the company where you actually bought your domain or hosting.
2. Log in to your listing account yourself to see whether any action is pending.
3. Never read out a verification code to a caller.
4. Report the sender on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) and block the number.
5. Delete the message and tell family members who may get the same text.
6. Do not reply, do not tap the link and do not call the number in the message.

You can report suspicious SMS and calls on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) of the Department of Telecommunications.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in with the invoice and payment details.
2. Tell your bank on the number printed on your card about the transfer.
3. If you shared a code, secure your listing account and change the password and recovery details.
4. Contact the listing platform's official support to reclaim your page.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio's scam check can read the invoice or message text you paste and mark the invented deadline and the fee for a service you did not buy, and the link check can warn about a lookalike payment page. It cannot see your domain or listing account, so confirm renewals with the provider you actually used, and never read out a code from a caller.

Full guide: Domain Renewal and Google Listing Scam for Shops: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: email, phone call, WhatsApp.

Questions