Google warned of rising scams a day before the Meta ‘scam ads’ report

New Delhi: Google published a “Fraud and scams advisory” outlining fresh global patterns and the safeguards it is rolling out across products on November 6, 2025.

Exactly, a day later, Reuters reported that internal documents showed Meta projected about 10% of its 2024 revenue, roughly $16 billion, would come from ads tied to scams and other prohibited goods, a claim the company disputed as “rough and overly-inclusive.” 

Google said scams are a persistent, transnational problem and warned that criminals are increasingly misusing AI tools to scale their operations. 

Citing the Global Anti-Scam Alliance’s 2025 “State of Scams” report, Google noted that 57% of adults encountered a scam in the past year and 23% reported losing money, based on a survey of 46,000 people worldwide. 

The advisory flags six fast-rising vectors. First, online job scams that mimic employer websites and recruiters, harvest personal and banking data and even push malware disguised as interview software. Google says its Misrepresentation policy prohibits such ads, while Gmail phishing protections, Messages Scam Detection and 2-Step Verification help block attacks. 

Second, “negative review” extortion, where fake one-star campaigns are followed by payment demands. Google says Maps policies ban fake engagement, and it is rolling out a direct merchant reporting flow for extortion attempts.

Third, AI-product impersonation scams, including fake “free” AI apps, credential-stealing sites, fleeceware and malicious extensions. Google points to Safe Browsing’s Enhanced Protection in Chrome and Play policies on impersonation and deceptive behaviour. 

Fourth, malicious VPN apps and extensions that deliver info-stealers and banking trojans. Google highlights Play Protect and an enhanced fraud-protection pilot that can block sideloaded apps seeking risky permissions.

Fifth, fraud-recovery scams that target previous victims with upfront-fee promises to reclaim lost funds; Google says Android now issues real-time scam warnings in Messages and Phone by Google.

Sixth, seasonal holiday scams around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, including fake storefronts, hijacked brand terms and delivery-fee phishing. Google says new protections cover package-tracking scams and, for Pixel 9 and later devices, extra defences in Chrome’s Enhanced Protection powered by local Gemini models.