Fake call detection works if both the user and their contact are using Phone by Google, the company said in a Tuesday (June 2) blog post.
When the user receives a call from a contact, the caller’s device sends a silent confirmation signal to the recipient’s device to verify that the call is coming from the contact’s device, according to the post.
If the user receives a call from a scammer trying to impersonate a contact, that signal will be missing and the user will get a warning on their screen saying that the call may be fake and that the user should hang up.
Google is rolling out fake call detection globally in Phone by Google to Android 12+ devices this month, starting with Pixel devices.
Other apps and device manufacturers can adopt this technology, because Google built it on the open standard Rich Communication Services (RCS).
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“Security shouldn’t be limited to just one type of phone or app,” the company said in the post. “We want to raise the bar across the industry to help protect as many people as possible.”
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said in April 2025 that impersonation scams cost Americans $2.95 billion in 2024. The agency added that scams in which criminals impersonate businesses and government offices are consistently one of the top frauds reported to it.
The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Financial Scams and Consumer Trust” found that 81% of successful scams are impersonation scams in which fraudsters pretend to be trusted authorities, friendly strangers or personal contacts.
The report also found that criminals deploy a mobile phone or landline in 19% of successful scams, and that new AI voice and chat technologies enable scammers to appear much more convincing.
“Scammers exploit trust across all communication channels, from phone calls and email to social media and online ads,” the report said. “These criminals overwhelmingly rely on impersonation tactics, a threat that will only grow as AI technologies evolve.”
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