Google’s latest Android update can spot AI voice cloning scams: Here’s how it works

Google has launched a new security feature for Android to protect users from scammers using AI tools to impersonate the voices of family members and friends to steal money or gain access to sensitive information. The new feature, called Fake Call Detection, can identify and warn users on Android when the system detects that the person on the other end may be spoofing the phone number of someone saved in their contacts while using AI-powered voice-cloning technology.

Why did Google bring the Fake Call Detection feature?

Google says phone and online scams are on the rise. The company cited INTERPOL's Global Financial Fraud Threat Assessment from March this year, which identified impersonation fraud as one of the major contributors to more than $400 billion in global losses.

Impersonation fraud is also said to be among the top reported frauds to the US Federal Trade Commission, which reported $2.95 billion in losses from such scams in 2024, a figure that has only grown since then.

The company also noted in a blogpost while Android users could traditionally rely on Caller ID to know who is on the other end of the line, even that is not safe these days due to the new tactics employed by scammers.

How are scammers tricking users with fake audio?

Google said that as people are increasingly refusing to pick up calls from unknown numbers, scammers are shifting strategies and impersonating the phone numbers of their trusted contacts.

The company says scammers primarily use a combination of two powerful tactics to steal the money and data of users.

First, scammers spoof the phone number appearing on the user's Android device via internet-based software in order to make it appear as if the call originated from a familiar contact.

Second, they take advantage of AI deepfake technology in order to sound like an authority figure, such as a family member or an employer.

What is Google doing to protect Android users?

Google says its new feature will be turned on by default and will run behind the scenes like a "digital handshake" between devices.

So when you receive a call from a contact, and if both of you are using the Google Dialler app, their device will send a silent confirmation signal in real time to confirm that the call is genuinely coming from your trusted person and not being impersonated by a scammer.

However, if there is a scammer on the other end who is spoofing your friend's phone number and attempting to impersonate them, then the verification signal will be missing.

In such cases, Google's system checks with the contact's actual device. If the real device confirms that no call is being made, Android will display a warning message on screen advising users to cut the call immediately.

When will Google's digital handshake come to your phone?

Google says its Fake Call Detection feature is rolling out globally to Android 12 and newer devices this month. The rollout will begin with Pixel devices and then roll out to other smartphones.