Google filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court in Utah accusing Pacific WebWorks and several unnamed defendants for running a scam selling work-from-home tool kits using Google's name. According to Google, people who signed up for the offer were hit with unfair reoccurring monthly credit card charges.

The tool kit is advertised as free, minus a nominal shipping and handling fee. However, Google alleges in the lawsuit that people who sign up for the offer have their credit cards hit with monthly fees and receive “little of value, or nothing at all, in return for their payments.”

“Because of the prominent use of the GOOGLE mark and false or misleading statements in the advertisements, consumers are tricked into believing—falsely—that these work-at-home kits are offered, sponsored or endorsed by Google,” the lawsuit states. “Consumers have sent letters to Google complaining about fraudulent charges. Google has informed the victims that Google is not affiliated with the scam and has referred victims to the Federal Trade Commission ('FTC').”

“Just as you should be careful about giving out financial information in the real world, you should be skeptical and review any offers online before sending any information, and always be on guard when presented with an offer that seems too good to be true,” said Google Support Engineer Jason Morrison.

According to Google, the scheme is advertised under a variety of names, including Google Adwork, Google Biz Kit, Google Cash and Earn Google Cash Kit. Consumers are not enrolled in any program that provides opportunities for generating income, Google states in the suit. Instead, they were charged monthly fees as high as $79.90.