UK Consumer champion Which? has reported that a scam mobile advert linked to a site mimicking the legitimate Lyca Mobile site was able to bypass the Google Ads verification check to reach the top of Google’s search listing. 

Which? reported that scammers got around Google’s ad verification check by claiming to be “Vodafone Finance Management”, a subsidiary of Vodafone on Companies.  

The scam ads, which appeared at the top of Google for three days in late January linked to a copycat website designed to steal card details (a phishing website). 

A spokesperson for Vodafone told Which? they had “reported the issue to Google for immediate resolution and to stop it happening again.” Also, a spokesperson for Lyca Mobile told Which? that they “welcome moves by Google and others to crack down on this type of activity to protect both consumers and brands from malicious actors.”