Google's AI Search Results Exploited by Scammers: Users Warned of Fake Customer Service Numbers

Scammers have infiltrated Google's AI responses - how to spot them

Do you ever use Google's AI-powered search to look for customer service numbers and other contact info? If so, you could be opening your wallet to a scammer. Several people are revealing how they were scammed while searching for customer service numbers using Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode. Assuming the phone numbers that appeared in the AI-based results were legitimate, the victims called them and provided payment information to complete a transaction. Instead, the people behind the numbers were scammers trying to steal money from the callers. Also: How web scraping actually works - and why AI changes everything "I pride myself on being cautious," Alex Rivlin, owner and CEO of real estate firm Rivlin Group, said in a recent Facebook post, as described by The Washington Post. "I don't click links, I don't give personal info over the phone, and I always verify. But I still got caught in a very sophisticated scam -- and it all started with what looked like a legit phone number for Royal Caribbean I found on Google." Rivlin revealed how the scammers were able to provide all the right information, including pricing, terminology, and shuttle details. He was then tricked into sharing his credit card information and realized he had been scammed after he discovered the bogus charges on his statement. "I'm sharing this as a public service announcement," Rivlin added. "With AI-generated results and spoofed numbers, the game has changed. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone." In another tale shared on Reddit, as spotted by DigitalTrends, a person had placed an order with Swiggy Instamart but hadn't received all the items. Using Google to search for "Swiggy customer care number," this individual called the number he found. Also: Could AI help you finally escape the office? Most workers think so The "customer care agent" on the other end tossed out legitimate questions. But then he asked the caller for his WhatsApp number, called that number, and told him to share his screen. That's when the customer got suspicious and ended the call. Swiggy itself doesn't offer phone support, only chat-based help. Scammers have long been able to insert fake phone numbers and other info into search results, hoping to trick unsuspecting users into sharing account or financial details. But the problem has taken on a new twist due to the growing use of AI. With a traditional search, you'd normally find a host of results, most of which should be legit. But with AI, you're presented with a single overview or result, increasing the odds that you'll follow only that one. The problem isn't limited to Google. Scammers have also exploited OpenAI's ChatGPT in much the same way. To highlight one example cited by DigitalTrends, security experts at Odin and ITBrew recently explained how hackers can use prompt injection to add specific commands to Google Gemini. In this case, the command tells Gemini that it must include the scam message and the fake customer service number in its AI-based summary. Also: How to get rid of AI Overviews in Google Search: 4 easy ways Responding to a query from The Washington Post, a Google spokesperson said the company has "taken action" on several fake phone numbers and continues to work on improvements to address queries like these. OpenAI said many of the pages with fake numbers referenced by ChatGPT have been removed but that such updates can take time. In response to ZDNET's own questions, Google shared the following statement: "We have strong protections and policies to prevent scams from appearing in AI Overviews or ranking highly on Search, and our systems are effective at surfacing official customer service information for the queries people search most. We've taken action on several of the examples shared, and continue to work on broader improvements to address rarer queries like these." For now, the best thing you can do is avoid blindly calling any business phone number or contact information delivered by an AI. Use a more traditional search engine or mode where you can scour a variety of results. To do that, append "--AI" to your search query. Alternatively, head directly to the company's website to locate its number and contact details.

Scammers are sneaking into Google's AI summaries to steal from you - how to spot them

Do you ever use Google's AI-powered search to look for customer service numbers and other contact info? If so, you could be opening up your wallet to a scammer. Several people are revealing how they were scammed while searching for customer service numbers using Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode. Assuming the phone numbers that appeared in the AI-based results were legitimate, the victims called them and provided payment information to complete a transaction. Instead, the people behind the numbers were scammers trying to steal money from the callers. Also: How web scraping actually works - and why AI changes everything "I pride myself on being cautious," Alex Rivlin, owner and CEO of real estate firm Rivlin Group, said in a recent Facebook post, as described by The Washington Post. "I don't click links, I don't give personal info over the phone, and I always verify. But I still got caught in a very sophisticated scam -- and it all started with what looked like a legit phone number for Royal Caribbean, I found on Google." Rivlin revealed how the scammers were able to provide all the right information, including pricing, terminology, and shuttle details. He was then tricked into sharing his credit card information and realized he had been scammed after he discovered the bogus charges on his statement. "I'm sharing this as a public service announcement," Rivlin added. With AI-generated results and spoofed numbers, the game has changed. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone." In another tale shared on Reddit as spotted by DigitalTrends, a person had placed an order with Swiggy Instamart but hadn't received all the items. Using Google to search for "Swiggy customer care number," this individual called the number he found. Also: Could AI help you finally escape the office? Most workers think so The "customer care agent" on the other end tossed out legitimate questions. But then he asked the caller for his WhatsApp number, called that number, and told him to share his screen. And that's when the customer got suspicious and ended the call. Swiggy itself doesn't offer phone support, only chat-based help. Scammers have long been able to insert fake phone numbers and other info into search results, hoping to trick unsuspecting users into sharing account or financial details. But the problem has taken on a new twist due to the growing use of AI. With a traditional search, you'd normally find a host of results, most of which should be legit. But with AI, you're presented with a single overview or result, increasing the odds that you'll follow only that one. The problem isn't limited to Google. Scammers have also exploited OpenAI's ChatGPT in much the same way. How is this possible? To highlight one example cited by DigitalTrends, security experts at Odin and ITBrew recently explained how hackers can use prompt injection to add specific commands to Google Gemini. In this case, the command tells Gemini that it must include the scam message and the fake customer service number in its AI-based summary. Also: How to get rid of AI Overviews in Google Search: 4 easy ways Responding to a query from the Washington Post, a Google spokesperson said that the company has "taken action" on several fake phone numbers and continues to "work on broader improvements to address rarer queries like these." OpenAI said that many of the pages with fake numbers referenced by ChatGPT have been removed but that such updates can take time. For now, the best thing you can do is to avoid blindly calling any business phone number or contact information delivered by an AI. Use a more traditional search engine or mode where you can scour a variety of results. To do that, append "-AI" to your search query. Alternatively, head directly to the company's website to locate its number and contact details.

Think twice about using numbers supplied by Google's AI Overviews

Google Search's AI Overviews have gone viral on several occasions due to these factually flawed answers. However, users are now reporting another issue: Google's AI summaries are providing incorrect numbers for customer support -- directing people to scam numbers instead. Business owner Alex Rivlin shared his experience on Facebook, noting that Google's AI overviews directed him to a scam phone number (via Digital Trends). He encountered the scam when he attempted to contact Royal Caribbean's customer support to book a shuttle for an upcoming cruise and phoning the number provided by the AI answer. But after sharing his credit card details with the person he called, his card was charged for different unauthorized purchases.

Google's AI could lead you into scam support numbers on Search

Beware the next time Google's AI saves you a few clicks and directly serves customer support helplines. Over the past few months, we have come across numerous cases where sophisticated AI tools have been used to duplicate a person's voice and trap a person in financial scams. Experts have also warned that AI is opening new avenues of online fraud. It seems Google's AI overviews and the AI Mode results could unknowingly entangle you in a similar trap. The owner of a real estate firm recently reported how they came across a phone number while looking up Royal Caribbean's customer service number. The number they found in the Google AI Overviews section at the top of the Search page wasn't real and was run by a scammer instead. Recommended Videos "I'm sharing this as a public service announcement. With AI-generated results and spoofed numbers, the game has changed," Alex Rivlin, owner of the company, said in a Facebook post. He added that he managed to escape at the last moment, but not before he had already handed over his credit card details to the bad actor. Another report mentions a similar fake support number attached to Southwest Airlines. The number that appears in the Google AI Overview doesn't appear on the Southwest Airlines website, and apparently handled by tricksters trying to charge hundreds of dollars for fixing a misspelled name on tickets. Why is it risky to seek helpline numbers with AI? On Reddit, I came across a report detailing the account of an individual who was also on the verge of getting scammed after looking up the number of a food delivery service's customer support contact on Google Search. The scam has already tricked many, and a 65-year-old man recently lost over three thousand dollars after looking up "Swiggy call centre" on Google Search. To test whether the issues persist, I looked up "swiggy customer care number" and switched to the new Google AI Mode. This is where the confusion begins. Swiggy's website clearly mentions that they do "not have any official customer care phone lines. Beware of fake numbers." Google's AI mode says Swiggy "primarily" refers users to solve the issue within the apps. Underneath, it adds that "some sources mention these numbers as Swiggy Customer Service contact options." This is again confusing and misleading in its own right. One of the numbers is only for partner onboarding, and not for "customer care," which was the original search query. Moreover, the two other numbers don't appear on an official Swiggy directory. Furthermore, one of those numbers even appears in a report lodged by a misled customer on the non-profit ConsumerComplaintsCourt website. How to proceed safely? This is not a unique problem. For a while now, Google Search results have been flooded by fake numbers in the guise of customer support helplines, waiting to scam an unsuspecting user. But with the advent of AI tools in Search, such as AI Overviews and Google AI Mode, the risks have multiplied. "Scammers have discovered that they can flood user-generated content sites and forums with fake phone numbers for major businesses, then trick callers into sharing their credit card information," Lily Ray, Vice President of SEO Strategy & Research at Amsive, wrote on LinkedIn. Experts at Odin and ITBrew also highlighted how hackers can write a "command that Gemini must include the message and its phony tech-support contact number in its summary response." Google, it seems, is aware of the problem. Google told The Washington Post that it continues to remove unreliable entries from AI Overviews. In the meantime, as an average internet user, the best advice that I can give you is that for all customer support helpline numbers and email addresses, visit the official website of the companies and look up the required contact details.

Google's AI Search Might Recommend You Call a Scammer

Despite its rapid integration in nearly every facet of daily life, AI technology is not perfect. While it might seem like generative AI knows everything, it can make mistakes, or make up information entirely. That's why it's concerning to tech reporters like myself that companies are adding AI tech to tool so many people rely on and take for granted. Search is one of those tools. Since the late 90s, we've been conditioned to rely on search results to find the information we're looking for. For many of us, that means loading up Google, entering a search, and accepting the first page of results, sometimes the first result or two alone. Now, with Google's AI Overviews taking over the top of most search results, many of us simply glance at the AI-generated result and take it at face value. There are many issues with this new approach, but there's one key issue to focus on today: As reported by Digital Trends, when you search for a company's phone number, Google's AI Overviews and even AI Mode might recommend a scammer's phone number instead. Digital Trends highlights four examples of this situation in action. First, there's Alex Rivlin, who posted on Facebook about his experience of trying to contact Royal Caribbean's customer experience. Rivlin wanted to book a shuttle through the service, but couldn't find the company's support number on their website. So, like many of us, Rivlin googled "royal caribbean customer service phone number 24 hours usa," and called the number that appeared in the AI Overview. When Rivlin called, the "customer service" experience seemed above board, and the "rep" was very knowledgeable. Rivlin provided his credit card information to pay for the shuttle, but was concerned once the rep started asking for his date of birth. Since Royal Caribbean already had that info, it seemed suspicious, so after hanging up the phone, Rivlin checked his credit card statement, and noticed a charge from a foreign company he'd never dealt with before. After that, he noticed a small charge to the American Cancer Society, and called the credit card company to cancel the card. As of this article, if you ask Google who that spam number belongs to, the automated result (not even the AI Overview, mind you) will say Royal Caribbean. That's pulling from a website that appears to be impersonating the official simpler.grants.gov site. If you click the link, the page is dead, but Google is still pulling the information that existed while the site was still up. Based on this, it appears scammers are listing fake numbers on fraudulent websites, and tricking Google into sourcing that data. Google's AI then sees "Royal Caribbean" next to this phone number on a .gov site, thinks it's legit, and surfaces it in an AI-generated result. Digital Trends then highlighted this example from a Redditor posting to r/ScamNumbers. The Redditor was googling "how to fix a misspelled name on Southwest," which lead them to an AI Overview result with a scam number. This user appears to have either already known the legitimate Southwest number, or perhaps located the real number to compare to the one from this result, and saw through the scam without calling. If you google the phony phone number, you can see a link to "Document360," as well as the following snippet: "To correct a passenger's name or Change Name on an Southwest Airlines Flight Ticket, reach out to Southwest Airlines customer support. Call +1-855-234-9795." This is, again, a tactic to trick Google into presenting the scam number in its results. This time, the scammers are phishing for users searching for this specific issue, which increases the chances Google will deliver this result for this specific search. Digital Trends also highlights a since-deleted post on Reddit, one user came close to getting scammed when googling the customer support number for a food delivery service. Similarly, in a final example, one man lost over $3,400 when he called the number that appeared for the food delivery service Swiggy's. Google's AI Overviews isn't malicious; rather, it's flawed. The underlying tech can struggle to distinguish between legitimate and false information. It lacks the awareness to understand that a site impersonating a government page can host a number and claim it to be a certain business: To the AI, that means that's the business' number, and, as such, it includes it in the results. It's the same flaw that lead to Google's disastrous rollout for AI Overviews last year. Back then, the model was even worse, pulling jokes from Reddit as legitimate sources. (No, glue does not actually make your cheese stick to your pizza.) That's not to say that the AI answer will always be wrong. The technology can still pull from high-quality sources and return results that are accurate. But there are flaws here that make AI answers too risky to count on. If you'd rather not scroll down to check out the traditional list of links yourself, at least click through the AI answer's sources to see where it's pulling the information from. If the source is sketchy, assume the answer is too. When it comes to company contact information, I'd recommend always going directly to the source. If the company doesn't list the phone number on their website, assume it doesn't exist, and try to find a different contact method directly through the company. Scammers are too clever to rely on the open web for this information.

Google AI Overviews accused of showing scam numbers in search results - Phandroid

Google AI scam numbers are the latest controversy hitting the company's new search feature. AI Overviews has already been blamed for driving down website traffic, and now users say it's pointing them to fake customer support lines. AI hallucinations are nothing new, but as more people rely on AI than ever before, the risks are growing. These reports show just how dangerous that reliance can be. One case highlighted by Digital Trends involved a Swiggy Instamart customer overseas. Searching for "Swiggy customer care number" led them to a fake number. On the call, the scammer posed as support staff and asked the user to share their screen and approve a suspicious UPI money request. Swiggy, as it turns out, doesn't even have a phone hotline, only chat-based support. Another report came from Alex Rivlin on Facebook. He searched for "Royal Caribbean customer service phone number 24 hours USA" and got a fake number from AI Overviews. In an eight-minute video, Rivlin explained how scammers copied pricing details and terminology so well that he nearly gave away his credit card. He caught the fraud just in time. These cases sparked questions about how scam numbers could surface above official sources. Google told the Washington Post it is "aware" of the problem and has "taken action" against some flagged numbers. But users are left frustrated, and some fear that AI-generated search results are less trustworthy than traditional links. The rise of Google AI scam numbers highlights just how easily attackers can exploit the system. This isn't the first time AI Overviews has been in hot water. In 2024, Google admitted the feature had taken satirical posts too literally, producing "nonsensical" results. The current issue may not stem from an information gap, but from the AI pulling unverified or user-generated content. The takeaway is simple: don't trust AI results blindly. Always double-check numbers and links before sharing personal or financial details. Scammers are adapting fast, and AI isn't vetting the data it serves up.

Beware! Google AI in Search could connect you to scammers, here's how

The safest option is to always visit the official website of a company for customer care numbers and email addresses. Over the past few months, scams using AI have been on the rise. Now, multiple reports are surfacing online that suggest Google's AI-powered search results, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, could accidentally put users in touch with scammers. Recently, Alex Rivlin, owner of a real estate firm, shared his experience on Facebook, reports Digital Trends. While searching for Royal Caribbean's customer service number, he clicked on a number displayed in Google's AI Overview. The number turned out to be fake and was being run by a scammer. "I'm sharing this as a public service announcement. With AI-generated results and spoofed numbers, the game has changed," Rivlin wrote. He managed to escape before losing money, but not before sharing his credit card details. A similar case was reported with Southwest Airlines. A number shown in Google's AI Overview didn't exist on the airline's official website and was being used by scammers who tried to charge people hundreds of dollars for solving simple issues like correcting ticket details. Also read: Meta, Character.AI accused of misrepresenting AI as mental health care: All details here On Reddit, a user shared how they almost got trapped while searching for a food delivery service helpline. In another case, a 65-year-old man lost over $3,000 after looking up "Swiggy call centre" on Google Search. To check the issue, Digital Trends searched for "Swiggy customer care number" in Google's AI Mode. The results showed numbers that were either not meant for customers or didn't appear on Swiggy's official site. In fact, Swiggy clearly states that it has no official customer care phone lines and warns users to "beware of fake numbers." Also read: Xbox Cloud Gaming could soon be more affordable, hints Microsoft Google told The Washington Post that the company is working to remove unreliable entries from AI Overviews. Until then, the safest option is to always visit the official website of a company for customer care numbers and email addresses.