Google AI shows scammer’s number as customer care, real estate developer ends up losing money

Google AI

A real estate developer thought he was talking to Royal Caribbean’s customer service after finding a number through Google’s AI Overview. The person on the other end sounded convincing, knew details about shuttle costs in Venice, and even offered to waive fees. Trusting the call, the man shared his credit card information.

The next day, he noticed suspicious charges and realized he had been tricked by a scammer pretending to be the cruise line’s representative, according to The Washington Post.

The reporter who covered the story discovered that the same phone number was also being used to impersonate other cruise companies, including Disney and Carnival’s Princess line. This is not a new scam, but artificial intelligence appears to have given it a boost.

Here’s how it usually works: fraudsters post fake customer service numbers on websites, forums, and review pages. If these numbers are repeated often enough, Google’s system may begin to surface them in search results, and now, in AI Overviews. Chatbots like ChatGPT can also pull in the same information. For scammers, it’s a new way to make an old trick more believable.

Experts told the Post that Google should be doing more to prevent such scams from appearing in its results. The reporter also warned readers to treat any phone number they see in search results or chatbots with caution.

Google, when contacted, said it has taken down some of the fake numbers identified by the investigation and is working on broader improvements. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, explained that some of the bogus webpages have been removed, but it can take time for updates to filter through the system.

The man who fell for the scam has since canceled his credit card and had the fraudulent charges reversed. Sharing his experience, he admitted, “I can’t believe that I fell for it. Be careful.”