PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT
Can I remove phone number from Google?
Q There’s a company called the Super Doll Centre advertising in Google search results, using my landline phone number! So, of course, I sometimes get calls for them – but obviously I can’t contact them by phone. Instead, I went to the shop’s physical address but it’s a private residence, and the owner was very surprised and knew nothing about the supposed business. Whoever is doing this is therefore using both a false phone number and address. What’s the point? What kind of scam is this? I’ve tried Trading Standards and other organisations, including Virgin Media (who supply my phone number), but none can help. Any ideas?
Graham Bartlett
A We’ve changed the name of the business to save you even more unwanted calls, because you’re right – Googling the actual name does lead to your phone number and an address that’s just a seemingly random private house. We should stress that, while we can’t be certain, we do believe that the address really is a private residence. At least, it is currently.
We say that because a search on the Companies House website (www.snipca.com/47377) reveals that the physical building, if not the specific address, has over the years hosted a multitude of different businesses – many dozens, in fact. At least one of these is an accountancy firm. This last fact possibly explains the existence of the all other businesses using the premises as their registered address. In short, it’s very murky. It’s entirely possible that dodgy businesses have been based there in the past, or even now, or that every single one of them was (or is) a legitimate concern that has based their operations at this address.
So what’s the scam? We don’t think there is one. Or at least, not one that’s specifically and actively targeting you or your telephone number. Rather, we think this is a case of a business that once existed at
