Google wants to put an end to calls that steal the identity of your loved ones

Telephone scams continue to multiply. Among the frauds recorded, telephone spoofing is particularly formidable. This practice consists of displaying the identity of a trusted contact on the victim's smartphone to deceive their vigilance. By using artificial intelligence and voice cloning, scammers can imitate the victim's loved ones to steal sensitive information such as their bank details.

To go further

“It may not be Michel”: the Google function against telephone scams

Faced with this phenomenon, Google is starting to deploy a new security function on its Phone application.

Automatic verification

Enabled by default, this fraudulent call detection does not require any intervention from users. If a scammer pretends to be a loved one, Google uses RCS technology to verify their identity. End-to-end encrypted, this communication system allows Google to check whether the loved one in question is online.

If this is not the case, the Mountain View firm will send an alert message to the user. She will tell him that it is potentially a person pretending to be the relative in question, inviting him to hang up.

Fraudulent call detection is being rolled out to all users with a smartphone equipped with Android 12 or a more recent version.