Why You Should Never Trust That 'Google' Call: An AI Scam Exposé

Online scams are getting more sophisticated, with AI scam calls becoming a real concern. In one recent case, Sam Mitrovic, a Microsoft Solutions consultant and security expert, received a notification to approve a Gmail account recovery they hadn’t requested. Not long after, Mitrovic got a phone call that, at first, seemed completely legitimate.

The caller claimed to be from Google, speaking in a polite, professional tone. But with a few critical clues, Mitrovic realized it was actually an AI-driven scam attempt, according to his blog post. Unfortunately, this is something we should all start getting used to.

Mitrovic says the caller sounded convincing. They mentioned suspicious activity on the account, asked about recent logins, and even sent a seemingly legitimate email from a Google domain. But there were some red flags that made it clear this was a scam.

First, Google doesn’t call Gmail users unless it's connected to a business profile. And the email they received wasn’t from a genuine Google domain. Despite the sender name looking correct at first, the To field contained an unrelated email address, which is a strong indicator of spoofing.

Another critical sign was that the initial Gmail account recovery requests were not initiated by the account holder. If you didn’t request it, that’s a big warning sign. And when Mitrovic checked his recent security activity, no suspicious logins appeared. Digging into the email headers revealed that the email was sent through a service that allowed the sender’s address to be faked.

As more than half of U.S. consumers now prefer shopping via mobile apps over websites, mobile security is paramount, especially during high-traffic times like the holiday season. With Adobe forecasting record mobile shopping this year, protecting your personal information is more important than ever. Sticking to basic checks—like verifying email addresses and checking login activity—can help protect your account.