California-based Google has introduced a new report, which highlights how the company is fighting online scams with the help of its artificial intelligence technology. The report, which was released on Thursday, mentions that AI is implemented in Chrome, Search and Android to combat scams.
According to the Google blog post, the tech firm has deployed the on-device Gemini Nano AI in the Chrome browser to tackle scams based on websites. There is a new Fighting Scams in Search report, which highlights how the company is enhancing its AI-powered scam detection tools and claims that it can spot 20 times more potentially harmful websites now.
The report details how website-based scams usually target fake users with fake websites to steal their personal information, money or login credentials. Although the pattern of stealing could differ, more or less, the idea is to deceive users by creating urgency or offering fake offers to lure them. Cryptocurrency scams, shopping scams, phishing sites, clone websites, and cheap subscription traps are some of the popular scam traps.
Google announced enhancements to its AI-powered scam detection within Search, revealing that it has upgraded its classifiers to better identify and demote scam-related content before it reaches users. One notable example shared was the rise in fraudulent schemes where scammers posed as airline customer service agents—a problem Google says it has curbed by over 80 per cent through these improvements.
In Chrome, the tech giant has bolstered the Enhanced Protection mode within its Safe Browsing feature. Now integrated with Gemini Nano—an on-device large language model (LLM) for desktops—the updated system adds deeper protection by spotting potential phishing sites and alerting Google for swift action. According to the company, Gemini Nano is capable of analysing complex website behaviours and detecting scams that have not been previously flagged.
Looking ahead, Google shared its intention to roll out similar protective measures for Android devices and to broaden the range of scams it can address.
That said, Android users are already seeing new safeguards. Chrome on Android is introducing a feature that blocks harmful website-based notifications. If a notification from a site is flagged as potentially deceptive, users will receive a warning titled “Potential scam detected,” along with options to either unsubscribe or review the notification safely.
