Google AI Overviews Directs Users to Scam Phone Numbers
Google's AI Overviews feature reportedly displayed fraudulent phone numbers when users searched for customer service contacts, leading users to call scammers instead of legitimate company support lines. Users who called the numbers provided by the AI system lost money or had their financial information compromised.
What happened
When users searched for customer service phone numbers on Google, the AI Overviews feature displayed fraudulent phone numbers instead of legitimate business contacts.
One user, Alex Rivlin, searched for "royal caribbean customer service phone number 24 hours usa" and called the number provided by the AI Overview, believing it was the official Royal Caribbean support line.
Reported impact
Rivlin provided his credit card information to the person who answered the scam number and later noticed unauthorized charges from a foreign company on his credit card statement.
The scammer posing as a customer service representative requested personal information such as Rivlin's date of birth, which should have already been on file with Royal Caribbean.
Index analysis
Google's AI Overviews appears to have generated or surfaced fraudulent contact information when users searched for established company support lines.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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