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When AI Gives Scammers a Boost, and Leaves Us on the Hook
We’re all used to scams by now - suspicious calls, weird texts, or fake emails that don’t always look fake at all. But the latest trick is smarter, harder to spot, and made more convincing by one tool many people trust without thinking: AI Overviews in Google search results
When official phone numbers are impossible to find, people naturally head to Google to search. And when AI features appear front and center in search results, most of us just click. If the info at the top is fake, it's already too late.
Plus, even if Google takes something down, that false info can still show up for days or weeks after. AI doesn’t forget instantly - it takes time for things to get removed, and scammers know that. They just need a few days (or hours) to get their message out, and they’re in.
How to Protect Yourself (and Your Customers)
This kind of scam works because it’s fast, automated, and taps into systems we already use and trust. It feels modern, but the con itself is nothing new - fake reps, urgent payment requests, shady transactions. Same story, new stage.
Here’s what helps, and what you should be advising your own clients to do:
● Stick to verified channels. Go straight to company websites (with HTTPS in the URL), not whatever Google serves first.
● Be suspicious of anything asking for payment quickly, especially over the phone.
● Use credit cards whenever possible - they offer far more protection than debit cards or direct transfers.
AI tools are meant to help us, but they’re developing at a speed the essential surrounding security tech just can’t keep up with. So for now, it’s a case of making sure you stay one step ahead…which might just be easier said than done.
Here’s how it works: a scammer creates fake business details, posts them on third-party sites (like review pages), and makes them look official enough to get picked up by search engines. Over time, these details float to the top of search results - sometimes right into Google’s AI-generated answers. The result? Scammers look like they’re legitimate, all because a machine read a page and said, “Yep, this checks out.”
Most people don’t know these results aren't double-checked by humans - we tend to think, “If Google says it, it must be right.” That trust is exactly what scammers are counting on.
The Real Story of a Very Convincing Scam
Take what happened to Alex Rivlin, a real-estate business owner. He tried to contact Royal Caribbean through Google search after not finding help through the official app. One of the AI results offered a number. He called, thinking it was legit, and wound up giving his credit card information to someone pretending to be a cruise line rep.
They offered to “waive the shuttle fees” if he prepaid gratuities. It felt like a reasonable exchange at the time. Days later, his credit card got hit with unexpected charges - that's when he realized he’d been scammed.
Luckily, he got his money back. But many others aren’t so fortunate.
Why This Keeps Happening
Part of the problem is how little actual contact info is listed on some companies’ sites. Ever tried getting a direct phone number for a tech giant like Google or Amazon? It’s not easy. Businesses push us to FAQs, chatbots, and endless “Help Center” pages - and in doing so, they open a window for scammers.