spam – The Map Room https://www.maproomblog.com Blogging about maps since 2003 Tue, 18 Apr 2017 19:08:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.maproomblog.com/xq/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/cropped-logo-2017-04-32x32.jpg spam – The Map Room https://www.maproomblog.com 32 32 116787204 How Many Fake Business Listings Are There on Google Maps? https://www.maproomblog.com/2017/04/how-many-fake-business-listings-are-there-on-google-maps/ Tue, 18 Apr 2017 19:08:25 +0000 http://www.maproomblog.com/?p=4280 More]]> Bogus business listings on Google Maps have been a thing for a while; a new research paper, authored by researchers at Google and the University of San Diego, tries to quantify the scale and scope of the problem. The New Scientist reports:

To analyse the scope of this abuse, the group looked at over 100,000 listings that the Google Maps team had identified as abusive between June 2014 and September 2015. The fraudulent listings most often belonged to services like locksmiths, plumbers and electricians.

Overall, less than one per cent of Google Maps listings were fraudulent, but pockets of fake listings emerged. In West Harrison, New York, for example, more than 80 per cent of locksmiths listed were scams. The U.S. was home to over half of the fraudulent listings, followed by India with 17.5 per cent.

[Cartophilia]

]]> 4280