Scammers are using AI to trick you
Google rolled out AI Overviews in 2024 to help people get quick summaries right at the top of search results.
But scammers quickly found a way in—filling these summaries with fake data and bogus websites, making it tough to know what's real.
Scams on the rise
They're sneaking in phony customer support numbers, sketchy links, and counterfeit recommendations.
So if you search for a company contact or help online, you might end up calling a scammer instead of the real deal.
The scale is wild: scams have grown significantly worldwide, and US fraud losses have risen in recent years.
Google is working to fix the issue
Google's stepped up its game—its AI now blocks 20 times more scammy pages than before.
That's helped reduce airline impersonation scams and visa/government scams recently.
Plus, Chrome now checks risky sites instantly on your device, so you get an extra layer of protection without waiting for updates.