• Posted by: Michael Johnson
• November 15, 2024

Google Warns of Cloaking and Deepfake Scams Targeting Users Online

Google has announced that bad actors are using techniques like landing page cloaking to conduct scams by impersonating trusted sites. Cloaking, which serves different content to users than to search engines, is designed specifically to evade detection by moderation systems, allowing scammers to push harmful content directly to users.

“Cloaking is specifically designed to prevent moderation systems and teams from reviewing policy-violating content, which enables them to deploy the scam directly to users,” explained Laurie Richardson, VP and Head of Trust and Safety at Google.

These fake landing pages often mimic well-known websites, creating a false sense of urgency to lure users into buying counterfeit products or nonexistent services. Google has observed a rise in users clicking on ads and being redirected to scareware sites that falsely claim their devices are compromised, eventually leading them to fraudulent customer support sites designed to harvest sensitive information.

Among the latest tactics fraudsters employ are:

1. AI-Generated Deepfakes: Scammers create deepfakes of public figures, leveraging their credibility to run investment scams.
2. Crypto Scams with Impersonation: Hyper-realistic impersonations target users with fake cryptocurrency investments.
3. Clone Sites: Scammers create app and landing page clones that appear identical to legitimate sites, tricking users into credential theft, malware downloads, or unauthorized purchases.
4. Event-Based Scams: Fraudsters exploit major events, using AI to market fake products and services.

Google has committed to releasing advisories on fraud and scam tactics every six months to keep the public informed. Many cryptocurrency scams, such as the notorious "pig butchering" schemes, are organized by crime syndicates based in Southeast Asia, where people are lured with job offers, only to end up confined in scam factories across countries like Burma, Cambodia, and Malaysia.

A recent U.N. report highlighted that criminal networks in the region are quickly adopting new technologies such as malware, generative AI, and deepfakes, enabling them to open new underground markets and improve their money laundering operations.

In April, Google took legal action against two app developers from Hong Kong and Shenzhen involved in fake Android apps linked to investment scams. Recently, both Google and Amazon sued Bigboostup.com for selling fake reviews on Amazon and Google Maps, which were used to mislead consumers.

Following a new partnership with the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) and DNS Research Federation (DNS RF), Google has blocked over 5.5 billion ads that violated its policies in 2023 and launched real-time scam detection in its Android Phone app. This live scam detection alerts users if a caller impersonates a bank and pressures them into transferring funds, providing visual and audio warnings if the call seems suspicious.

Additionally, Google has improved its Google Play Protect feature, adding real-time alerts to warn users of potentially harmful apps, like stalkerware, by monitoring app behavior patterns and flagging apps that disguise their activity.

Google remains focused on strengthening its tools to help users stay safe from evolving online threats and scams.