Watch out for this Google scam

There's a new scam doing the rounds - this time involving Google.

Here at lovemoney.com, we like to warn you about the latest scams. And as a result, I think it’s fair to say we end up writing articles about scams on a pretty regular basis.

Today is no exception. And that’s because there’s a new scam doing the rounds involving advertising on Google.

The scam

Imagine this: You’ve booked a flight with British Airways, but you need to take your skiing gear with you and you can’t remember whether there will be an additional charge for this. So you decide to give British Airways a ring.

Only you don’t know the phone number and you’re feeling a tad too lazy to bother searching for it among your documents. Instead, you decide to carry out a quick search for the British Airways phone number on Google.

And result! There it is. Or, at least that’s what you think.

You click on the first link that's come up on the search and it takes you to a website advertising the British Airways Helpline, followed by a number in large, bold text. There’s some other text surrounding the number, but you’re in too much of a hurry to read it, so you simply make the call.

However, instead of being put through to BA, you get an automated response telling you the real BA number. So you make a note of it, dial that number and finally make your enquiry.

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It’s only later that you discover the first phone number you called was in fact a premium rate number, for which you’ve been charged £1.50 a minute for information you could have easily found yourself for free.

What happened?

Before I go on, it’s not just Google that this is happening with. Many other search engines are getting caught up in this scam as well.

And why? Well, a number of websites are using ‘search engine marketing’ (SEM) to fool customers. In a nutshell, these websites buy advertising from Google (or another search engine) so that the website appears in a very high position in sponsored links – usually at the top or along the side bar. And as a result, they are usually the first websites customers see when they search for contact numbers.

These phone numbers can be for information services ranging from government helplines to customer service lines for high street retailers.

If you look at these ‘customer service’ websites, such as this one or this one, you will see in the small print that you’ll be charged a premium rate of around £1.53 per minute for information that’s free elsewhere. But of course, many people don’t read that – they simply call the number in bold, and it’s only when they receive a hefty phone bill that they realise what’s happened.

Of course, you might not believe that anyone falls for this because it just seems too obvious. But you’d be wrong. The regulator of premium rate numbers, PhonepayPlus, is warning that millions of people using search engines such as Google are indeed falling foul of this scam.

What’s more, two companies, AT Telecom and Customer Service Helplines, were recently fined £50,000 each for misleading customers and failing to make the price of calling the premium rate numbers clear.

Through this scam, AT Telecom earned revenues of between £250,000 and £500,000, while Customer Service Helplines earned more than £500,000 – which only proves how many people are falling for these scams. Both companies have been ordered to repay the money to customers.

Having looked at the website for Customer Service Helplines, it claims it provides a ‘quick and efficient method for contacting those customer service departments whose numbers are often hard to obtain. We can provide these with ease and save you both time and frustration’.

But by doing a little research of your own, you should easily be able to find the correct number absolutely free - usually by looking on the company's own website.

How to avoid getting caught out

If you are looking for a phone number online, to avoid getting caught out by this type of scam, make sure you follow these tips from PhonepayPlus:

1. Know the URL

Check the URL of the website offering the phone number. Does it look plausible?

If it’s government information you’re after, government websites should end in .gov.uk. If the website offering the phone number has a different URL, check again to see whether you can obtain the information on a government website for free.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for information for a retailer or other customer service line, make sure the URL matches up to the company you want to contact.

2. Know your numbers

If the number starts with 090, this will be a premium rate number.

3. Know what it costs

However much of a hurry you’re in, always read the small print! And make sure you do this carefully to ensure you know exactly how much you will be charged for calling.

Finally...

If you do get caught out by one of these scams, it’s a good idea to complain to PhonepayPlus. You can do this using its online complaints form or by calling 0800 500212. PhonepayPlus can investigate complaints, and as I’ve already shown, has the power to fine companies and stop them offering premium-rate numbers.

More: The sneaky online ticket rip-off | Suss out these sneaky small print scams