In a world where digital scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, Google is stepping up its game with a new AI-powered scam detection tool for its Messages app. This feature is intended to make communications more secure by identifying and flagging potentially harmful messages in real time.
The scam detection tool is designed to combat the rise of "conversational" text scams, where fraudsters initiate conversations that seem harmless but gradually turn into attempts at social engineering. Google Messages will now monitor these conversations using AI to identify suspicious patterns. When a scam is detected, users will be alerted with a warning, allowing them to block or report the sender.
Explaining the feature, Google have said "Traditional spam protections are focused on protecting users before the conversation starts, and are less effective against these latest tactics from scammers that turn dangerous mid-conversation and use social engineering techniques," continuing that "To better protect users, we invested in new, intelligent AI models capable of detecting suspicious patterns and delivering real-time warnings over the course of a conversation, all while prioritizing user privacy."
Google emphasizes that this system is designed with user privacy in mind. All message processing occurs on the phone, meaning that personal data stays private and is not sent to Google's servers. The tool is automatically enabled for users communicating with people outside of their contact list, but it can be turned off at any time through the spam protection settings in the app. Currently, this feature is being rolled out in the US, UK, and Canada, with plans to expand to additional countries in the near future.
For anyone who’s ever fallen victim to a scam text (and for those that haven't yet), this new tool will hopefully provide a layer of protection, ensuring that your data remains secure.