Search engine Google has decided to take legal action against web organisations that use its name to promote fraudulent homeworking schemes.

Internet users have been promised "up to $978 a day" working from home for outfits like Pacific Webworks when, in reality, any keen homeworkers who sign up receive little more than recurring credit card bills.

In its lawsuit, Google – whose logo is regularly used to promote such organisations' false advertisements – alleges trademark infringement and unfair business practices. In its official blog, the search giant also claims misleading ads take advantage of consumers experiencing difficult economic conditions.

Homeworkers are advised to "always be on guard when presented with an offer that seems too good to be true" and directed towards more legitimate means of earning a living working from home.

"In our experience, the best way to build a business on the web is to really serve users – offer useful products and services or write about something you have a passionate interest in," Google's representatives suggest.

They go on to reveal their intention to continue cracking down on fraudulent homeworking websites by removing questionable URLs from the search engine's web index, for example.