Fake Gemini AI chatbot used in Google Coin cryptocurrency presale scam
Scammers created a fraudulent cryptocurrency presale website featuring a custom AI chatbot impersonating Google's Gemini assistant to trick victims into sending Bitcoin or Ethereum for a non-existent 'Google Coin.' The chatbot provided fake investment projections and false claims of endorsements from major tech and finance companies to establish credibility.
What happened
Scammers deployed a custom AI chatbot impersonating Google's Gemini assistant on a fraudulent website for a non-existent 'Google Coin' presale. The fake chatbot, presented with official Google branding and a 'green' online status indicator, claimed to be the 'official helper for the Google Coin platform.'
The chatbot was programmed to answer investment queries and project specific financial returns without human intervention. In one example, it claimed that a $395 investment would grow to $2,755 upon listing. The bot refused to provide verifiable corporate details such as regulatory licenses or audit reports, instead offering vague assurances of 'military-grade encryption.'
Reported impact
Victims were guided through a professional-looking presale dashboard to make irreversible payments in Bitcoin or Ethereum for worthless tokens. The underlying website falsely cited OpenAI, Google, Binance, Squarespace, Coinbase, and SpaceX as collaborators to establish false credibility.
Index analysis
The scam demonstrates the evolution of AI-powered crypto fraud, with scammers automating the interaction layer to scale operations and engage hundreds of targets simultaneously with consistent, persuasive messaging that mimics trusted brands.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.