Google Issues Gmail Scam Warning to 2.5 Billion Users: Here’s What You Need to Know

Gmail has issued a warning against Gmail scams and asks users to be vigilant against several fraudulent schemes. With the arrival of the holiday season, scams are also arriving with many targeting users via Gmail. The tech giant reported that the company has seen a massive surge in email traffic since mid-November and noticed various scammers targeting users through Gmail. The company recorded that the number of phishing attacks is low as compared to last year but warns that attackers are gearing themselves to plan the second wave of phishing attacks and scams and that’s why people need to be vigilant, especially during the holiday season. Also Read: Coin Sale Scam In India Explained: Why RBI Will Never Buy Your Old Rs 5 Or Rs 10 Coins

Gmail has 2.5 billion users worldwide and that’s why it becomes quite challenging for the company to maintain clear inboxes for users. The company says that however it blocks 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware in Gmail, but these attackers find a way to your inboxes. Also Read: Doctor Loses 36 Crores After Clicking A Facebook Ad Of Fake Investment Scam: How To Stay Safe

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To recall, Google launched the security feature last year which managed to reduce the phishing attack by 35% as compared to last year. This year too Google came up with several AI technologies that are saving Gmail users worldwide. Google’s new large language model (LLM) is trained to counter phishing, malware, and spam attacks and blocks 20% more spam than before. Additionally, it also reviews 1,000 times more user-reported spam daily.

The company also introduced an AI model right before the Black Friday Sale which delivered promising results. The model acts like a supervisor for the existing AI model and evaluates hundreds of threats and risky messages in the blink of an eye. It also deploys appropriate protection.

Scams You Need To Watch Out This Holiday Season:

Google mentions majorly three scams that can target users this holiday season.

Invoice Scams:

In this scam, scammers send fake invoices to users who don’t suspect them. Scammers contact via phone calls and convince their victims to pay them.

Celebrity Scams:

In this scam, scammers pose as celebrities and say that they are endorsing a particular product. They use these campaigns to target people in believing that they are celebrities and users should either invest or buy the product they are endorsing.

Extortion Scams:

Extortion scams involve vicious and scary methods in which users generally receive emails mentioning their home address or their image stating that the spammers can harm them or can damage their material if the user doesn’t send them the money.