Google is set to crack down on scam operators who use their brand name to lure unsuspecting users into online ‘get rich’ schemes in both the USA and Australia.In a legal action taken out in a US Court, Google has accused Pacific WebWorks of misusing its brand and logo to trick customers into believing they are joining a Google-sponsored program that “will allow them to make hundreds of dollars a day working from home”. The company admits that they have sold licenses for its software into Australia.
Shares in Pacific WebWorks crashed 53 per cent after the Google court action was announced. Last month the company told the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it had witnessed a “dramatic growth” this year, with its second-quarter revenues jumping 168 per cent.
The company claimed that it had boosted its staff to handle the growth, with 50 people now working in a service centre in the Philippines to take customer calls.
The Company is currently selling software into Australia and New Zealand. However, it is refusing to say how many licenses it has sold into this region.
Google claims that the company has written fake news stories, blog comments and postings on social networking sites praising their work-at-home kits. Google said that it want to ban Pacific WebWorks from continuing to offer the kits, and is seeking actual and punitive damages.
An affiliates listing that revealed Australian linked companies has been removed from the company’s web site.
