‘Google cannot stop it, control it or curtail it…’ Inside the murky world of fake addiction treatment center search spam

From theregister.com

Special report Addicts seeking substance abuse treatment are being deceived by phony medical clinics advertising on Google’s business directory system – and the web giant seems unwilling or unable to fix the issue.

An investigator who asked to remain anonymous provided The Register with research detailing online advertising in the substance abuse treatment industry, including a review of Google search results listings and how they’re informed by Google My Business data, which companies provide about themselves to identify their store locations and hours. It appears that many of these are just front organizations, intended to pick up people desperate for care and with the insurance to pay for it.

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