Image source: CNN
Google is stepping up its fight against online scams by using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and warn users about fraudulent websites in real time.
One common scam involves pop-up messages falsely claiming a device is infected with a virus, urging users to click for tech support or download fake security software. To combat this, Google is deploying its Gemini Nano AI model directly on users' devices to identify and block these deceptive "tech support" scams as they happen.
The move is part of Google's broader effort to enhance security across Chrome, Search, and Android using AI advancements. As scammers increasingly leverage AI to create convincing fake content, companies like Google are also turning to AI to stay ahead. According to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, consumers lost over $1 trillion to scams last year.
How Google's AI Protects Users
- Real-Time Scanning in Chrome: When users click a link in Chrome's "Enhanced Protection" mode, Gemini Nano scans the page instantly for threats. This helps counter "cloaking," a tactic where scammers show different content to Google's crawlers than to users.
- Android Alerts: Google will now warn Android users about suspicious website notifications and allow them to automatically unsubscribe if they have Chrome notifications enabled.
- Search Improvements: Google's AI-powered anti-scam systems now block 20 times more malicious pages than before, removing hundreds of millions of scam search results daily.
AI's Role in Fighting Scams
Phiroze Parakh, Google's senior director of engineering for Search, noted that scammers constantly adapt, but AI improves language understanding and pattern recognition, making detection faster. For example, Google has reduced airline-related scam searches by 80% by identifying fake customer service pages and phone numbers.
Broader AI Anti-Scam Efforts
Other companies are also using AI to combat fraud:
- O2 (UK) uses an AI chatbot called "Daisy" to waste scammers' time on calls.
- Microsoft is testing an AI tool that analyzes phone calls for fraud.
- The U.S. Treasury recovered $1 billion in check fraud in 2024 thanks to AI.
As scams grow more sophisticated, AI is becoming a crucial tool in keeping users safe online. Google's latest updates aim to provide faster, more private protection by detecting threats directly on users' devices.
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