Google is strengthening India’s defenses against digital scams by introducing on-device scam detection for Pixel 9 phones and launching new alerts for screen sharing within financial apps.
As more Indians access the internet and increasingly depend on smartphones for payments, shopping, and government services, digital fraud is on the rise. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), digital transaction scams made up over half of all reported banking fraud in 2024, with 13,516 incidents leading to losses of ₹5.2 billion (approximately $58.61 million). The Ministry of Home Affairs reported that online scams resulted in estimated losses of ₹70 billion (about $789 million) in just the first five months of 2025. Many cases likely go unreported, as victims may not know how to file complaints or may wish to avoid further attention.
On Thursday, Google revealed it is expanding its real-time scam detection, which leverages Gemini Nano to analyze calls directly on the device and identify suspicious activity—without recording conversations or transmitting data to Google’s servers. This feature, which is off by default, only works with calls from unknown numbers and emits a beep to alert participants. It first appeared in the U.S. in March as a beta for English-speaking Pixel 9 users.
Google told TechCrunch that this scam detection will initially be available only on Pixel 9 and newer devices in India, and only for users who speak English, with notifications also in English. This limits its reach in a market where Android powers nearly 96% of smartphones, according to Statcounter, but Pixel devices accounted for less than 1% of the market in 2024. The language restriction is especially significant in India, where most people use languages other than English—a fact Google and companies like Amazon have addressed by adding Indian language support to their services in recent years.
Image Credits:Google
The company also mentioned it is working to extend scam detection to other Android phones, but did not specify when this would happen.
Additionally, Google announced a pilot program in India with financial apps Navi, Paytm, and Google Pay to combat screen-sharing scams, where fraudsters trick users into sharing their screens to steal one-time passwords, PINs, and other sensitive information during calls. This feature was first revealed at Google I/O in May and initially trialed in the U.K.
Android devices running version 11 or newer will be able to use these alerts, which include a single-tap option to end the call and stop sharing the screen. Google told TechCrunch it plans to add more app partners and will eventually display alerts in Indian languages, though no further details were given.
For several months, Google has also used its Play Protect service to restrict predatory loan apps in India by blocking the installation of third-party apps that request sensitive permissions often exploited for fraud. The company reported that over 115 million such installation attempts have been blocked this year. Meanwhile, Google Pay issues over a million warnings each week for transactions flagged as potentially fraudulent.
Google is also running its DigiKavach campaign to raise awareness about digital fraud, claiming to have reached more than 250 million people. The company has collaborated with the Reserve Bank of India to publish a public list of authorized digital lending apps and their associated non-banking financial companies to help reduce malicious activity.
Earlier this year, Google introduced a Safety Charter in India to broaden its AI-powered fraud detection and security initiatives, as part of a larger effort to deploy more AI tools in the country to address the surge in fraud.
Despite these efforts, Google still faces major challenges in tackling digital fraud in India. The company, like Apple, has faced criticism for allowing deceptive and fraudulent apps to appear on its app store, even with review processes in place to prevent such submissions.
In recent years, law enforcement and security experts have identified scam-related investment and loan apps that remained available on the Play Store until action was taken. These incidents highlight the difficulties Google encounters in managing an ecosystem that dominates India’s smartphone landscape.
