January 31 - Forbes published a blog post yesterday, January 30, thatReports suggest that Google has alerted 2.5 billion users around the world to attacks launched with the help of AI.
The attackers used AI technology to simulate the voice of a real person, masquerading as a Google US customer service agent and using a number with Google caller ID to contact the victim.
The attackers falsely claim that the victim's Google account has been compromised and temporarily blocked, creating panic and prompting the victim to take action as soon as possible.
The phone number provided by the attacker is indeed available on google.com, increasing the victim's trust in the attacker's identity.
The attacker sends a fake confirmation email to the victim's Gmail account with a domain name that looks like it's from a real Google domain, further enhancing the deception. The attacker eventually sends the victim a Google authentication code, which induces them to reset their password, thereby stealing account credentials.
Hack Club founder Zach Latta received a "customer service call" from someone who sounded like a professional engineer, with an American English accent and excellent call quality. But Latta eventually figured out the scam and didn't fall for it.
Garry Tan, founder of startup incubator Y Combinator, posted a "public service announcement" on X (formerly Twitter) to warn people about these scams. The scammers claimed to be verifying that the user was alive, and said that someone had submitted a death certificate in an attempt to restore the user's account.
A similar scam happened to Sam Mitrovic, a Microsoft Solutions Consultant, when he received a call from Australia informing him of suspicious activity in his account and trying to help him secure it. He received a phone call from Australia with a professional tone informing him of suspicious activity on his account and attempting to help him secure his account. mitrovic eventually realized the email address was a forgery and was able to avoid the loss.
1AI cited Forbes as recommending that users turn on the "Advanced Protection" feature to protect their accounts. A Google spokesperson said the feature takes extra steps to verify a user's identity, such as Passkey, and ensures account security even if a hacker gains access to a user's credentials.
