Tracking online scams and safety tips
Online scams can happen to anyone, regardless of how tech-savvy you are. At Google, we're committed to protecting users like you from these evolving threats. Our Trust & Safety teams proactively track and analyze scam trends, working to identify and prevent them from harming our users. To raise awareness about the risks and share the latest tactics used by scammers and criminals, we share an online fraud and scams advisory. We also believe in empowering you with the knowledge and tools to stay safe online. In this spirit, we've compiled a list of recent scam trends in India and some practical tips to help you avoid them.
Exploitation of Major Events
Scammers are getting better at taking advantage of major events, leveraging AI to both conduct new types of scams and enhance well-established fraud techniques. In India, scammers frequently target major festivals like Diwali and religious celebrations, often using fake donation schemes and fraudulent travel bookings during these peak periods of charitable giving and travel.
Safety Tip: During major events, make purchases or donations only through established platforms and official event organizers. Be particularly careful during holiday seasons and cultural festivals, and always verify charitable appeals through official channels. Do not forget to check URLs before clicking on unfamiliar links. About this result (the three dots next to a search result) is one way to get more information about an online source.
AI-Generated Celebrity Investment Scams
Scammers create fake videos and images to make it appear as though well-known public figures are promoting their schemes. These scams combine AI-generated photos, voice or videos (often called "deepfakes") with fabricated news articles and social media posts to promote fraudulent investment opportunities – commonly in cryptocurrency and trading platforms.
Safety Tip: Be wary of any investment advice that seems to come from celebrities or business leaders, especially on social media. Watch for unnatural facial movements or expressions in videos – these can be signs that the content is fake. Be extremely cautious of any investment opportunity that promises unusually high returns or seems too good to be true – it's likely a scam.
Fake Travel and E-Commerce Scams
Scammers create fake websites that mimic legitimate shopping, travel, and retail sites. In India, scam activity can peak during major festival periods, particularly in the autumn months when Diwali, Dussehra, Navratri, and Dhanteras drive festive shopping. Scammers create convincing copies of popular e-commerce and travel booking sites, often exploiting the trust in UPI payment systems to target both festival shoppers and religious pilgrimage bookings.
Safety Tip: Always verify the website you're on before making purchases. Be especially careful during major sales events – check the URL carefully, look for signs of legitimate security features, and be wary of unusually low prices or urgent time pressures. Use Google's About this result feature to learn more about unfamiliar websites, and through My Ad Center you can find advertiser information such as their name or location and report a bad ad.
Remote Access Tech Support Fraud
Scammers pose as technical support staff from well-known companies, banks, and government agencies. They create a sense of urgency by claiming there's a problem with your device, account, or online security, often using convincing technical language and websites that closely mimic legitimate support pages.
Safety Tip: Never give anyone remote access to your device based on an unsolicited call or message. Legitimate companies won't contact you first about technical problems – if you need support, always reach out through the official website or phone number of the company you want to contact. You can increase your security by enabling 2-Step Verification (2SV), passkey or password manager
Job Scams
Scammers sometimes target job seekers with promises of high-paying remote work and international opportunities. These fraudulent job offers may appear on legitimate job sites, and social media platforms, making them particularly difficult to identify.
Safety Tip: Be cautious of job offers that seem too good to be true or require handling money transfers. Legitimate employers won't ask for payment during the hiring process or require you to use your personal accounts for business transactions. Always verify job opportunities through official company websites and channels. About this result can give you more information about the online source.
Predatory Loan Apps
Fraudulent lending apps target people who are seeking quick access to money, promising fast, easy loans with minimal paperwork. In India, scammers operate sophisticated networks that systematically exploit borrowers. These apps often disburse unrequested loans and demand repayment with exorbitant interest rates. Once installed, they gain access to users' contact lists and personal data, which scammers then use for aggressive harassment and extortion, including threats to share edited photos with victims' contacts.
Safety Tip: Only get loans from licensed financial institutions and official banking apps. Be very suspicious of loan apps that require access to your contacts, photos, or location – legitimate lenders don't need this information. If an app offers instant approval with minimal documentation, it's probably a scam. If you find an issue with an app or review on Google Play, you can flag it to our team.
To prevent online scams, a collaborative approach is necessary, as malicious actors are constantly changing their tactics. We are continually improving our detection and enforcement methods, increasing our proactive capabilities, and ensuring that we have strong policies in place to protect users. Additionally, we are committed to keeping you informed of the latest scammer trends and techniques. You can help us by reporting scams on our platforms.
