Google has a solution for those ‘unpaid toll' text scams
The next time you're about to tap a text message to resolve an unpaid toll balance, your Android phone may warn you to think twice.
Google is updating its scam text detection technology to spot hoaxes like these, which are among the most common types of text-related schemes according to the Federal Trade Commission.
The new scam detection will come as an update to Google Messages, the messaging app installed on most Android phones by default. Google Messages already monitors texts for other types of popular ploys like fake job offers and bogus package theft alerts.
It will start rolling out on Tuesday and is just one of several Android updates Google announced ahead of its developers' conference next week – along with cosmetic software changes and the expansion of its Gemini AI helper to Android-powered smartwatches and cars.
Text scams related to phony unpaid tolls have been on the rise. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received roughly 60,000 complaints related to toll scams last year, and fake unpaid toll texts nearly quadrupled between January and late February according security software maker McAfee. Consumers lost $470 million to text scams in 2024, according to the FTC.
'We've just been hearing from users like constantly that this is a problem,' Sameer Samat, Google's Android ecosystem president, said in a CNN interview.
The anti-spam tech works by analyzing a conversation for red flags. Like most phishing scams, these texts may include poor grammar, urgent language, suspicious links and imitations of official logos, according to roadside assistance and insurance provider AAA.
But, according to Samat, fraudsters are adopting more sophisticated tactics. For example, scammers may hide or rotate URLs to make them harder to detect. They might also borrow language from legitimate sources to make their message sound more convincing.
'These texts look deceptively simple,' Samat said. 'But actually there (is) a whole bunch in them that is complicated.'
When receiving what could be a scam text, Google Messages will show an alert labeling the message as a 'likely scam' with the option to either report and block the number, or tell Google it isn't a scam.
These messages are typically crafted to look like they're coming from a legitimate toll agency and will include a phone number or link to make a payment, AAA says. New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a warning earlier this year to users of the electronic toll collection system E-ZPass, saying customers will never be prompted to hand over personal information such as credit card data or social security numbers via text or email. The scammers usually ask for small sums of money.
Google says its detection algorithm runs on-device, meaning it doesn't need to send information about a user's text messages to its servers to pick up on those warning signs. In addition to unpaid toll scams, the update also enables Google's messaging app to spot potentially fraudulent texts related to crypto, technical support and gift cards.
Google isn't the only tech company trying to crack down on scam texts; McAfee also offers a tool that it says can spot potentially malicious links in texts, while security software provider Bitdefender offers a free chatbot users can share suspicious texts, emails and links for analysis. But Google's tech is integrated into the messaging app Android device owners are likely already using.
It's one of several security-related updates from the search giant, coming after the company recently announced a tool for identifying scam websites in its Chrome browser. Google is also piloting a feature that warns users when sharing their phone's screen with an unknown contact while using a banking app.
'The scammers are really upping the bar on what they are trying to do,' Samat said. 'And so we felt like we had to match that.'
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