As our internet and devices advance each day, scammers and their attacks have become sophisticated too. Modern-day phishing attacks have moved past spelling mistakes or strange-looking documents, exploiting techniques like deepfakes, voice cloning, and social engineering to convince their targets.
Google has announced new safety features for Google Messages to help users dodge potential scam attacks and spot them before it"s too late. For starters, Google Messages now prevents users from visiting links inside messages suspected of being scams.
The feature is rolling out to all users globally, giving them the option to mark a message as "not spam" if it"s flagged by mistake.
Android has got a new Key Verifier tool, which is making its way to Google Messages. It"s a system service designed to protect users from fraudsters and impersonators. They can scan a QR code for their trusted contacts to verify their public key for end-to-end encrypted messages.
In Google Messages, select a contact you want to verify. Tap on their name at the top of the chat screen, then go to Details > Verify keys and follow the steps. Key Verifier is rolling out to all users running Android 10 and later versions.
The search giant said that "widespread access to cutting-edge technology is making scams more convincing and nefarious than ever before," adding that about 60% of people globally have experienced some kind of scam in the last year.
Users can play Google"s educational game Be Scam Ready, which is based on the inoculation theory, to expose themselves to simulations of real-life scam and fraud situations.
Apart from that, Google is also rolling out a couple of recovery features for situations when people get locked out of their account or someone else gains access to it. They can now set up Recovery Contacts, allowing their friends and family members to assist in the account recovery process.
If their primary phone gets stolen or broken, people can use their phone number to regain access. A new Android feature called "Sign in with Mobile Number" automatically identifies users" linked accounts after they type in their phone number.
The account details are verified after the user enters the lock screen password from their previous device for verification. The feature doesn"t require users to know their Google account password; it will gradually roll out to all users worldwide.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the US. Google said it will host in-person scam and fraud workshops at Google Store locations in New York City and Mountain View on October 21 and 28, respectively.