Some Google map users have reported that they are receiving some undesirable messages while using Google Maps. The spam pop-ups try to lure the users by telling them they have won a prize and then asking to know their location. What could it be?
People have been posting long messages of concern about the spamming and everyone is thrown into confusion wondering what the hell that could be. For those who are using the Google Maps for the first time, it is normal for the app to request the users’ location if sharing feature is enabled and one wishes to share his or her location with a known person. However, the big question which everyone is asking is why is it that the application turns into a robot which requests people’s location unnecessarily? Everyone is concerned as it is only normal that the people whom you have shared your location with are the only ones permitted to request your new location. It is clear that a number of users who have seen this pop-up have not added the spammers in their location sharing list.
There is a statement which is yet to be confirmed that the pop-up is due to the nearby feature introduced in the application. The computer experts have reached out to some of the victims but they could not figure out exactly what went wrong. Some of the victims have, however, explained that they simply denied the location request and resumed their normal duties.
One of the Twitter users went an extra mile to conduct an investigation on his own and realized that the link included in the pop-up directs him to three different web domains. No further information has been given how that was possible. The user has tweeted Google and Google map teams demanding the answers to the problem currently being faced by the users. However, despite attaching the evidence of the three domains, he is yet to get a response.
The problem affects different users who are running Google Maps on iOS and Androids. No one has the idea of how the spammers manage to generate the location requests through the pop-up. You are advised to ignore such notifications if received or just deny the request. You will be updated on anything as we receive more information on the matter.
If you visit the UR displayed, you will be direct to a non-verified site which advertises free phone cases if you feed in your personal information which may include name and address.
Why the Spam?
The example notification shown above is an example of an undesirable URL. It is a spam.
For the other URLs, there have been many rumours regarding the origin of the notifications and they reason why they pop-up. There is a mixture of reactions from different people. Some believe that the spam notification is used by the robbers who are interested in knowing whether or not you are at home so that they can do the mischief while others believe that it can be as a result of a Nearby service or a store which is interested in branding and advertising its products.
As it stands, what you can do is to deny the request and block the notification. Do not give your personal details as you don’t know who is listening for the information from the other side. Remain cautious until an official communication from the Google team is released.
Lastly, let us know your theory behind this Maps spam if you have any valid information.