AI impersonation scams are becoming more sophisticated, often promoting fraudulent offerings ranging from high-return investments to fake giveaways. Meanwhile, cloaking is used to present different content to Google compared to what a user sees, preventing moderation systems from reviewing policy-violating content. Google has updated its misrepresentation policy in response to these scams and advises users to be vigilant, double-check URLs before clicking, and enable Enhanced Protection in Google Chrome.
Key takeaways:
- Google's vice-president for trust and safety, Laurie Richardson, has highlighted the increasing use of AI and cloaking techniques in scams and fraudulent cyber attacks.
- Google has launched a regular online fraud and scams advisory to raise awareness about the latest tactics used by scammers and criminals.
- The first advisory addresses five recent trends, including crypto investment schemes, app cloning, major event exploitation, AI impersonation campaigns, and landing page cloaking.
- Google advises users to be cautious of unnatural expressions in content or strange promotions from public figures, as these could be indicators of synthetic content or deepfakes. Users are also advised to check the URL before clicking and to enable Enhanced Protection in Google Chrome.