Scammers are tricking people into calling fake customer service numbers
Scammers have figured out how to get Google's AI Overviews—the summaries you see at the top of search results—to display fake customer service numbers.
If someone calls these, they could end up sharing personal or payment info with fraudsters.
Companies like Royal Caribbean have already been targeted.
How scammers are getting around Google's defenses
By spreading bogus phone numbers across different websites, scammers make Google's AI think these are legit and push them to the top of your search.
Since the AI summary often shows just one answer, people trust it more than a regular list of results.
What can you do to stay safe?
Google is removing reported scam numbers and working on better protections, but it's smart to double-check contact info on official company sites.
You can also add "--AI" at the end of your search to skip the AI summary, look closely at URLs, use features like "About this result," and remember that some companies only offer chat—not phone—support.