Florists Urged to Guard Against Deceptive Practices Ahead of Mother’s Day

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Society of American Florists is urging floral retailers to take proactive steps to protect their brands and maintain visibility and customer relationships during one of the industry’s busiest holidays.

Deceptive order-gathering practices are becoming more aggressive — particularly impersonation calls and caller ID spoofing — while longstanding tactics like misleading online ads continue to siphon orders, erode margins and damage customer trust.

While order gathering itself is a legitimate part of the floral marketplace, problems arise when order gatherers misrepresent who they are, where they’re located and how orders are fulfilled — often misleading consumers into thinking they are buying from a known local florist when they are not.

“These tactics aren’t new, but they are becoming more sophisticated — and more frequent,” SAF CEO Kate Penn said. “Florists need to be vigilant, both online and over the phone, especially during peak holidays like Mother’s Day.”

What’s Happening  
According to SAF members, deceptive order gatherers are:

• Spoofing caller ID, by disguising phone numbers to appear as local businesses or trusted institutions. 
• Impersonating phone calls, by posing as customers or other florists placing orders. 
• Impersonating businesses online, by posing as a local florist in search results. Search engines allow advertisers to bid on competitors’ names — a practice upheld by courts — but prohibit ads or landing pages that falsely imply affiliation or mislead consumers about identity, location or pricing. 

Proactive Measures 
Florists can safeguard their operations and revenue:

• Train staff to spot impersonators: Teach employees how to identify potential impersonators by looking for inconsistent caller information or urgency paired with payment issues. Have them add a verification step — such as calling back a known number — when something seems off.
• Buy Google Ads using your business name: If you are running pay-per-click ads, ask your provider about a branded search campaign to help ensure your business appears prominently when customers search for you — reducing the risk of losing orders to misleading ads.
• Use clear, local messaging: Highlight your physical location and identity in ad copy and on your website. Being explicit that your business is a real, local florist can help differentiate your business.
• Monitor search results regularly: Avoid searching for your own business directly on search engines (even in incognito mode), as this can lower your click-through rate (CTR) and negatively impact ad relevance. Instead, use the Google Ads Preview tool to check your business name, common variations, and floral-specific keywords. This provides a more accurate view of what customers are seeing, since real search results are influenced by browsing history, location, and device — meaning searches from your shop’s IP or devices may not reflect the typical user experience.

Take Action When You See Violations
Florists who encounter deceptive practices can:

• Report suspicious spoofed calls: Caller ID spoofing — when a caller alters the number or name displayed — is not always illegal but may violate federal law when used with intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain something of value. Report incidents to the Federal Trade Commission (reportfraud.ftc.gov). The FTC form takes just a few minutes and does not require proof of fraud — submit as much detail as you have, such as the phone number shown on caller ID, the date and time of the call, what the caller claimed, and any financial loss. You can also attach supporting documentation, but it’s not required for the report to be useful. 
• File a complaint in your state: If money was lost or you believe someone is targeting businesses in your area, consider filing a complaint with your state attorney general’s consumer protection office. Most states have simple online forms (search “[your state] attorney general consumer complaint”), and these offices can investigate patterns of fraud affecting local businesses.
• Report misleading ads to Google: Click the three-dot icon or “About this ad” link next to a sponsored search result, then select “Report this ad” or “Why this ad?” to submit a policy violation complaint. Be sure to cite “misrepresentation of business identity.”
• File a trademark complaint: If you have a trademark and believe your business name appears in ad copy in a misleading way, submit a complaint through Google’s Ads Trademark form. You’ll need to provide your trademark details (registration number, owner name, and country), identify the specific ads or advertisers in question (such as screenshots, ad URLs, or search terms that trigger the ad), and explain how the ad creates confusion or implies affiliation. Be clear that the issue is misrepresentation — not just that your name appears. Google may also request verification of your trademark ownership before taking action.
• Document patterns: Save screenshots of ads and landing pages. Repeated violations are more likely to trigger enforcement.
• Report incidents to SAF: Keep SAF involved by reporting deceptive practices. SAF has enforcement processes for members to help track and address ongoing issues across the industry.

Industry Policy
SAF formalized its stance on deceptive practices in 2019, emphasizing that businesses representing themselves as local should have a physical presence in that community. The policy also defines deceptive practices as collecting undisclosed service fees or sending orders for below stated retail prices and standard delivery fees.

For additional resources, including digital marketing education and compliance guidance, visit safnow.org.

About The Society of American Florists

The Society of American Florists is the association that connects and cultivates a thriving floral community through training, education, marketing resources and advocacy. Our vision: The power of flowers in every life. For more information, visit SAFnow.org.