Android gets call recognition against fraud calls

Google builds a new mechanism Android to prevent fraudulent calls with fake contacts. Fraud attempts with fake caller IDs (the transferred caller number) should contain this.

This “Fake Call Detection” (betrug call detection) presents Google now in a blog post. The scenario explains Google: The transmitted call number of a call corresponds to that of a contact, such as that of your mother. The voice, which sounds like the range, sounds real – yet the call comes from fraudsters who imitate the voice by means of AI and ask for money for an emergency situation. If callers and calls use Google smartphones, the phone should now be able to warn against such fake identities. The function wants to sharpen Google by default. The mechanism is based on the Verified Financial Calls feature presented in May, which protects against fraud involving fake contacts from financial institutions.

Simple mechanism with great effect

Now Google also explains how the mechanism works. It is a kind of digital handshake between the devices, explaining the authors of the post. If a known contact calls and both counterparts use Google smartphones, the devices send a confirmation signal in real time in the background. This confirms that the call is legitimate and actually starts from the device of contact. This digital handshake is based on end-to-end encrypted RCS messages.

If fraudsters now build a call with a fake number, this initial confirmation is missing. The device of the call destination notices this and sends a ping to the device of the actual contact to make sure. If the device “I just don’t build a call”, the device of the calls shows a warning with the advice to put up immediately. This is intended to protect potential victims from fraud calls with Deepfake imitation in real time. The function can also be switched off in the settings of the telephony configuration.

Thus, the mechanism automatically implements what is often referred to as a security tip against fraud calls: in case of uncertainty as to whether a call is genuine, the person concerned should lay down and contact the source via the known ways.

Video by heise

The function wants to make Google available globally and bring it to devices with Android 12 and newer. The beginning is made by Google's pixel devices. Google does not currently call a schedule for availability on other Android devices. By placing on open standards such as RCS (Rich Communication Services), other apps than Google's phone app and other device manufacturers should also be able to take over the technology.

Google has already implemented further security features in Android. At the end of 2024, the developers – also initially limited to pixel phones – have installed an AI-based fraud detection that analyzes the course of the conversation and investigates typical features for fraud attempts. In such cases, a communication on the mobile phone indicates that it is probably a fraud attempt.

(dmk)