Google Ads strategists from the Google Extended Workforce are reportedly contacting advertisers with AI-generated profile photos and names, Search Engine Roundtable reports. The claim rests on an account from advertiser Joe Youngblood, and Google has not commented.
Search Engine Roundtable said it asked Google about the matter but had not heard back. The question matters to advertisers because Google’s own guidance tells them to verify who is acting on its behalf.
In short
- Advertiser Joe Youngblood says an email from “Kassy Garcia,” a supposed Google Ads Strategist, used a profile photo that Google’s AI checking tool flagged as AI-generated.
- Youngblood found no LinkedIn profile for Kassy Garcia of Google.
- Barry Schwartz posted on X on October 29, 2026 that fake profile photos for Google Ads reps are bad, and said he did not think the issue is new.
- Google’s support page says its representatives always use an email address ending in @xwf.google.com.
- Google had not responded to Search Engine Roundtable’s request for comment.
What the advertiser describes
Youngblood said the email from “Kassy Garcia” arrived an hour after a call from a Google Ads contractor. The email described the sender as a Google Ads Strategist.
He said he checked the profile photo in the email with Google’s AI checking tool, and the tool indicated it was generated by AI. He also searched LinkedIn and found no profile for a Kassy Garcia at Google.
The caller, by his account, was male, used a real name with an Indian first name and had a moderate Indian / South Asian accent. Youngblood posted on X: “Google is using AI-generated people for Google Ads contacts.”
Who the contractors are
Google Extended Workforce (xWF) is the group of contractors who work on Google Ads outreach, as described in the reporting. Google’s help documentation for advertisers says third-party partners work on its behalf to help new advertisers start and optimize campaigns across many countries.
The page lists Regalix / Marketstar and TDCX / Teledirect among its partners. It also says advertisers may be eligible for support from an Online Strategist from Google, covering search, display and YouTube campaigns.
Google Ads, according to the same page, works with many valued partners and resellers to help customers set up their first online advertising campaigns and provide related support and services. Advertisers checking Google’s published guidance should also review the latest Google privacy policy changes, including how ad personalization applies to AI Mode ads.
What Google tells advertisers to check
That help page states that Google representatives always have an email address ending in @xwf.google.com. It also tells advertisers to carefully check the identity of anyone claiming to act for Google, by asking them to send an email to verify their identity.
For agencies and in-house teams that receive such outreach, the published address rule and the verification request are the steps Google itself names. The reporting does not say which address the “Kassy Garcia” email used.
Background and open questions
Schwartz said on X that he did not think the issue is new. Search Engine Roundtable says it has covered the xwf.google.com issue before.
It is not yet known whether Google will confirm the use of AI-generated photos or names, or whether the practice is widespread. Google has not answered the outlet’s inquiry.
Sources
Photo: Search Engine Roundtable