Google announced on Wednesday (12th) that it will begin a global test in Brazil to prevent bank fraud such as Pix fraud.
In the pilot program, users will see a security warning on their Android device screen when they open their banking app or Google Wallet during a call with someone who isn’t in their contact list. Along with the alert, you’ll see a button to end the call and stop screen sharing with a single tap.
This testing is already underway in partnership with Itau. Therefore, for now, only this bank’s app and Google Wallet will be able to take advantage of this feature.
Fake telephone exchange scams, the target of the new tool, are the second most common in Brazil, data from Febraban (Brazilian Banking Federation) shows.
“We know that scammers often try to trick victims into taking risky actions during calls, so this new feature makes financial apps even more secure,” Google said in an announcement.
Report from sheetPublished in June, we showed that a version of this scam involving screen sharing is on the rise in Brazil. This data was extracted from a report by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab.
The scam begins over the phone, with the scammer posing as a bank technician and asking the victim to install an application that allows remote access to the device, such as Teamviewer or Anydesk. The criminal then requests a code displayed by a program that allows them to remotely control the phone. See how it works in the video below.
Once the customer follows the instructions, the criminals can take control of the device and perform financial transactions to empty the victim’s account. Neither antivirus nor banking app security can prevent these losses, as the programs used are genuine and available in the official Google and Apple stores, which are commonly used for technical support.
At its “Only on Android” event held this Wednesday, Google said it uses artificial intelligence to protect users of its operating system from more than 2 billion suspicious calls and messages per month.
Further updates
Google also announced the implementation of another security tool. Users of smartphones running Android 16 will be able to specify “trusted locations” such as home and work.
Once this is done, the device will require biometric authentication whenever the user attempts to access sensitive settings or information when away from these locations, such as viewing saved app passwords, changing the device’s PIN, pattern, or password, or disabling Locator.
This feature is located in the “Anti-Theft” section of your security settings.
Additionally, enabling the new Factory Reset Protection feature requires user credentials. Resetting your device is a common tactic used by criminals to bypass your phone’s security mechanisms.
“If a thief attempts to skip the setup process on a phone that has this feature enabled, the device becomes unusable and can only be restored with the owner’s credentials,” Google said in an announcement.
The company also made theft detection lock and remote lock standard, which were previously optional.
Theft Detection Lock automatically locks your phone’s screen if it detects movement that suggests theft, such as if someone grabs your device and starts running.
Remote Lock, which previously let you lock your phone with one click, now includes the option to add a secret question to prevent third parties from locking your device without the owner’s consent.
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