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Scammers are always looking to exploit the tools and technologies we use to steal our personal information, money, or both. That’s why companies like Google must defend us from hackers, security threats, and other hazards. It is also why we must take responsibility for our own security.
In a blog post published Thursday, Google explains how it thwarts online scams across key products and how we can protect ourselves.
Google’s scam detection system
With the largest share of the search engine market, Google uses AI to detect hundreds of millions of malicious and suspicious search results each day. With the help of AI, the company said its scam detection system has been able to catch 20 times more scammy pages than before. Specifically, the latest advancements in AI help Google analyze more text on the web, identify scam campaigns, and detect emerging threats to its search page.
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As one example cited in the blog post, Google has seen a significant increase in attackers impersonating airline customer service providers. With this scam prevalent, travelers who search Google for airline customer service may be taken to a malicious phone number where the scammer tries to capture their personal information. Thanks to AI, the company has been able to reduce the number of such scams by more than 80%.
Chrome is another Google product that offers enhanced security protection. Its Enhanced Protection mode in Safe Browsing is its highest level of defense, offering tighter security than Standard Protection mode. Now, AI makes that security even stronger.
Gemini Nano, Google’s on-device large language model (LLM) on the desktop, serves up instant analysis on risky and scammy websites, protecting users against new scams not seen before. As one example, Gemini Nano is helping to thwart remote tech support scams, one of the largest online threats. As the next step, Google wants to extend this protection to Android devices.
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Another way scammers try to pull off an attack is by sending you a host of notifications from malicious websites. To address that threat, Google is kicking off new AI-powered warnings in Chrome for Android. If the AI detects a scammy notification, the content is blocked, and you’ll receive an alert with an option to unsubscribe, view the blocked content, or allow future notifications from that site if you think the warning was a false positive.
Many scams also reach you through phone calls and text messages. Though the calls and texts may seem innocent at first, they can easily devolve into malicious attacks. Here, Google recently rolled out AI-powered scam detection in its messaging and phone apps to protect Android users from these scams.
In its blog post, Google shared further details on how AI and machine learning help it battle scams and scammers.
Google’s defensive tools use machine learning algorithms to look for patterns, anomalies, and linguistic signs that indicate fraudulent activity. But scammers are a moving target as they constantly switch tactics. That means tech giants like Google must constantly keep up with them. With that goal in mind, the company has launched AI-powered versions of its anti-scam systems over the past three years.
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The latest scam fighters use AI to analyze huge volumes of text and zero in on subtle patterns that could indicate coordinated scam campaigns or emerging threats. As one example, these systems are able to recognize interconnected networks of fraudulent websites that may individually appear legitimate.
The use of AI and LLMs has also helped Google track scams across different countries and languages. For instance, let’s say the company finds a scam in English, Hindi, German, Spanish, or another language. In response, the LLMs allow its systems to locate those scams in other languages, thus protecting more people around the world.
Tips to protect yourself
Though companies like Google may take the necessary steps to protect us from scams and other threats, we must assume responsibility ourselves. Toward that end, the company offers a few tips to keep in mind.
- Check for lookalike domains. Scammers will often use similar domain names to trick people into following a malicious link. For example, instead of a legitimate domain like “thisisgoodlink.com,” the cybercriminals may twist it into a link like “thisisagoodlink.support.”
- Investigate the web page. Before you engage with an unknown website that turns up in Google Search results, find out more about it. One way to do this is to click the link for “About this result.” You can then learn more about the site to decide if you want to explore it.
- Look for official information. Google’s search results try to deliver reliable information. But malicious links can crop up. If you’re looking for something like a customer service number, don’t necessarily rely on search results or different pages for that information. Instead, try going directly to the company’s official website, where it should provide the correct phone number.
- Watch out for strange formatting on a site. Finally, scammers aren’t always able to build a fraudulent website that looks exactly like the real thing. Be on the lookout for strange formatting, unusual fonts, or unexpected symbols or emojis. All of those could be signs of a spoofed site.
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