CEO Fraud via Google Search & Ads
Fraudsters seed fake executive-contact details through search results and ads so staff reach an impersonator who then issues urgent payment instructions.
Part of: CEO Fraud
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
CEO fraud usually relies on direct impersonation, but search results and ads can play a supporting role. When staff search for a leader's contact details, an office number, or an assistant's line, a fraudulent listing or ad can route them to an impersonator instead of the genuine contact.
A prominent search position or a paid ad can make a fake contact appear official. An employee who reaches this number, believing they are confirming a request with the executive's office, may instead be speaking to the scammer, who reinforces the fraudulent instruction.
How this scam works on Google Search & Ads
The fraudster plants fake contact details for an executive or their office through a fabricated listing or an ad targeting searches for the company or leader. The aim is to control the channel staff use when they try to verify a request.
After an initial impersonation by email or message, an employee who searches for the executive's number to confirm finds the planted contact and calls it. The scammer answers, confirms the fraudulent payment instruction, and pressures the employee to proceed.
Believing they have verified the request, the employee authorises the transfer, sending funds to a criminal account. Search and ad platforms are neutral channels the fraudster abuses, not parties to the scheme.
Common red flags
- Executive contact details found via search that you have not used before
- A verification call that simply confirms an urgent payment request
- A listing or ad for a leader's office that cannot be independently confirmed
- Pressure during the call to proceed quickly and confidentially
- A number that differs from the one in your internal directory
- Reluctance to let you use an officially recorded contact instead
How to protect yourself
- Verify executives using numbers from your internal directory, not search
- Do not treat a number found online as an authoritative contact
- Apply dual authorisation to all transfers regardless of verification
- Maintain an official, internal record of executive contact details
- Treat any call that confirms an urgent secret payment with suspicion
- Confirm requests through more than one independent channel
How to report it
- Report the fake listing or ad to the search or ad platform involved
- Notify your bank immediately if a payment was made
- File a report with your national cybercrime or fraud centre
Frequently asked questions
I searched for our CEO's office number to verify a request and the call confirmed it. Is that reliable?
Not necessarily. Fraudsters can plant fake contact details in search results and ads, so the number you find may reach the scammer. Use a number from your internal directory, not one found online, to verify executive requests.