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Google is intensifying efforts to combat online scams by integrating artificial intelligence across Search, Chrome, and Android, aiming to make fraud more difficult for cybercriminals.
In a recent blog post, Google said AI is now central to its anti-scam strategy, blocking hundreds of millions of scam results daily and identifying more fraudulent pages than ever before. The addition of Gemini Nano provides instant detection of high-risk websites, helping the company counter new and evolving scams.
AI-powered defenses in Google Search
Google has long used AI to detect and block scams, including fake tech support, fraudulent financial services, and phishing links. Recent updates to AI classifiers now allow the company to detect 20 times more scam pages, improving the quality of search results by reducing exposure to harmful sites.
For instance, after detecting a spike in scam activity targeting airline customer service queries, Google used dedicated AI protections that cut scam-related attacks by more than 80%. In 2024, similar measures decreased scams impersonating official sites, like visa or government service pages, by more than 70%.
With AI advancements, Google can scan huge amounts of web content, detect coordinated scams, and spot new threats, accelerating the removal of harmful content before it spreads widely.
Google’s broader AI defenses
Beyond Search, Google is applying artificial intelligence to protect users across other surfaces, including Chrome, Android, and other communication tools. These target scams on websites, app notifications, calls, and direct messages.
Gemini Nano in Chrome
Chrome’s Enhanced Protection mode now uses Gemini Nano — a lightweight, on-device AI model, to instantly identify scams and adapt to them — even ones that haven’t been seen before. This new large language model (LLM) will soon expand to Android devices.
Fighting unwanted notifications
Chrome on Android now uses AI warnings to flag suspicious or misleading website notifications. Users can unsubscribe or review denied content to avoid scams.
AI in calls and messaging scam protection
Google’s on-device AI Scam Protection in Messages and Phone helps block sophisticated scams in calls and texts, making it harder for cybercriminals to reach users.
Google’s scam prevention tips
Google emphasizes that, while its advanced systems work to keep Search free of spam and scams, staying alert is still important. To stay safe, Google recommends that users:
- Take a close look at website addresses since scammers often register domains that closely resemble real ones.
- Use the About This Result feature to learn more about a site or business before visiting it.
- Stick to official sources for customer service details and being cautious of odd formatting, fonts, or characters that may signal a fraudulent website.
Google says it will keep updating its AI to outpace scammers and protect users.