To help protect Australians from the growing threat of impersonation scams, Android is introducing fake call detection, an industry-first protection that can detect and flag suspected spoofed calls when your contact and you are both using Phone by Google.
Marking a major milestone in mobile security, fake call detection helps protect people by identifying when a caller isn’t who they claim to be, giving phone users an extra layer of defense against sophisticated AIvoice cloning scams (also called deepfake attacks) of their contacts.
Battling new scam tactics
Impersonation scams are among the top reported frauds, with worldwide losses totaling $2.95 billion USD
in 2024 and growing.
For years, people have relied on caller ID to know who is on the other end of the line, but this is no longer sufficient due to scammers’ new tactics:
● Number Spoofing: Scammers route calls through internet-based software to make it appear as
though the call is originating from a familiar contact.
● AI Voice Cloning: They use easily accessible AI deepfake technology to sound exactly like an authority figure, family member, or employer.
How fake call detection works
This feature is on by default and works automatically behind the scenes like a digital handshake between devices:
● The ‘silent handshake’: When a person’s contact calls that person and they are both using Phone by Google, their device sends a silent confirmation signal in real time to the device to verify the call is legitimate and truly coming from the contact’s device.
● Encrypted technology: Because this digital handshake uses end-to-end encrypted Rich Communication Services (RCS) technology, it is completely private.
● The Double-Check: If a scammer tries to impersonate a person’s contact, that initial confirmation signal will be missing. The person’s device will instantly notice this and ping their contact’s actual device to double-check.
● Real-Time Warning: If their real device says, “I’m not making a call right now,” the phone user will get a warning on their screen advising them to hang up immediately. This proactive alert helps people avoid falling victim to deepfake impersonation and call spoofing in real time.
Rollout and industry-wide protection
Google is rolling out fake call detection in Phone by Google to Android 12+ devices this month, starting with Pixel devices.
Security shouldn’t be limited to just one type of phone or app. Because fake call detection is built on top of the open RCS standard, other apps and device manufacturers are able to adopt the same verification technology.
Google’s history of scam prevention
Fake call detection represents the next major step in our industry-leading protections against scams, adding to our existing ecosystem of safety features:
● Google Messages: AI-powered Scam Detection automatically helps protect Android users from malicious scam texts.
● Phone by Google App: Pixel and Samsung users can also enable Scam Detection to flag ongoing
scam calls using on-device machine learning.
● Gmail: We support Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) to verify email senders.
● Android Enhanced Play Protection: Automatically blocks the installation of apps from “Internetsideloaded” sources (like web browsers or messaging apps) if they request sensitive permissions frequently abused for financial fraud, such as intercepting one-time passwords (OTPs) or spying on screen content.
● Financial Services Advertiser Verification: Requires advertisers to be verified by Google and authorised by local regulators (ASIC) to run financial services ads, helping to prevent scam ads.
More information here.
Note: Phone by Google is already the default phone app for the majority of Android devices. If a device uses a different app, Phone by Google can be installed from the Play Store and set as the default phone app to help protect people from fake calls.
Media Release: Google Australia
