This morning I got an email from Google saying:
Request declined
Your request to remove a search result associated with your personal info was declined.
*[My address]*
- Foreclosure Auction Data
*[They inserted a link with my address here]*
It didn’t meet Google's policy requirements for removal.
Because this really was from Google, it was clever enough that my heart stopped for a minute.
Apparently these scammers put your information into this database and then immediately use *your* email address to request Google to remove it. Google then sends you an email telling you that it can't be removed, and you take it much more seriously than if *Foreclosure Auction Data* had directly sent you the spam.
I accidentally clicked on the link (helpfully provided by Google in their response 🙄) and was taken to their site. Obviously I didn't input my information to check on this report. Instead, I reached out to my local tax collector's office and clerk of the court to verify that this was a scam.
I'm usually good at immediately spotting scams but this is an interesting one.