It's very important to make sure any information about your business is genuine across all websites and channels. Don't misrepresent or overinflate what you do, or you could be penalised in the search engines.
With the introduction of 'Google My Business' (GMB) and 'Bing Places for Business', the chances are that any search for your business name will display the GMB or Bing Places result very prominently at the top of the page, so it's vital this information is true and correct.
It's very easy to publish content on the Internet and it's also easy to do a typo or miss a digit from a phone number. The fact is, once your content is published, it can soon become an absolute nightmare if that content is wrong. Not such a big deal to correct your own website, or indeed Google or Bing business pages, but the pages that you have zero control over can prove troublesome to request changes. Those directory sites we all know that seem to 'acquire' your business information, which is then 'acquired' by yet another directory site - before you know it, your 'incorrect' business info could be published on thousands of websites across the globe.
Check, check and check again before you publish any critical business information. More info on consistent business listings.
There are many instances of businesses that have added additional profiles to their business listings on Google and Bing. In most cases, these are genuine, but there are also many business listings that are not accurate, and in some cases intentionally misleading in order to 'gain' commercial benefits. For example, Example Company Ltd may have an empty office with a physical address and may decide to add that address to the Google and Bing business listings as Example Company 2 Ltd, with a view to seeming like a bigger company, or trying to attract clients from a different geographical area. This is just one example, but there are plenty.
If you do attempt to pull a fast one with the major search engines, get ready - this is Google's statement:
"Google reserves the right to suspend access to the Google My Business website builder or other Google Services to individuals or businesses that violate these guidelines."
Never, ever, ever try to fool the search engines. It will backfire and may result in your actual business from being removed from the search engines. In the modern 'search world', the stakes are just too high, so don't risk it.
Aside from the brand damaging behaviour in the eye of the consumer, faking your business online can land you trouble with the search engines, and worst case, the law.