Google steps up the fight against scams with new tools and more education
Scams and fraud are an ever present threat on the internet and the rise of AI means that they’re getting harder to spot with the old giveaways of bad grammar and dodgy attachments largely eliminated.
Google is announcing a range of new tools and initiatives to help people remain safe online. These include improved app features, new account recovery tools and better education and awareness programs.
All Google Messages users now have access to a feature where if the app suspects a message is spam, it will warn you when you click on any links within it and stop you from visiting the potentially harmful website, unless you explicitly mark the message as ‘not spam.’
Android's new Key Verifier tool -- available to users on Android 10 and above -- adds a new layer of trust to private conversations by protecting Google Messages users from impersonators and fraudsters. It works by allowing you to scan a QR code for your trusted contacts, adding extra assurance that your end-to-end encrypted messages are truly private with the right person on the other end.
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Launching today is Recovery Contacts, a new safety feature for eligible personal Google Accounts that allows you to designate trusted friends or family members as Recovery Contacts. In addition to make recovery on a new Android device easier, the company is introducing Google's Sign in with Mobile Number, which automatically identifies your accounts using your phone number.
To help raise awareness of threats there’s a Be Scam Ready game that lets users experience real-life scam and fraud scenarios in a safe, interactive setting.
Google is also working with the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA), the National Elder Fraud Coordination Center (NEFCC) and others to help raise cyber hygiene awareness among younger and older individuals.
You can find out more on the Google blog.
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