Google announced on Wednesday (12) the start of a global test in Brazil to prevent banking fraud, such as the Pix scam.
In the beta program, Android devices will display a security warning on the screen when a user opens a banking app or Google Wallet during a call with someone not in their contact list. Next to the alert, a button will appear to end the call and stop screen sharing with one click.
Testing already underway is a partnership with ITAO. Therefore, only this bank’s app and Google Wallet will provide this feature at the moment.
The fake phone exchange scam, which the new tool targets, is the second most common scam in Brazil, according to data from Febraban (Brazilian Banking Federation).
“Knowing that scammers often try to trick victims into taking risky actions during phone calls, this new feature adds an extra step of security to financial apps,” Google said in the announcement.
Report from Boundpublished in June, showed the growth of a type of such scam in Brazil, which involves screen sharing. The data was extracted from a report issued by cybersecurity company Kaspersky.
The scam begins with a call, in which the scammer pretends to be a bank technician and asks the victim to install apps like Teamviewer, Anydesk, etc. that allow remote access to the device. The criminal then requests the code displayed by the program, which enables remote control of the cell phone. See how it works in the video below.
If the customer follows the instructions, the criminal takes control of the device and can conduct financial transactions to empty the victim’s account. Neither antivirus nor banking app security can prevent these losses, as the software used is legitimate and available in the official Google and Apple stores, with common use in technical assistance.
During the “Only on Android” event held on Wednesday, Google said that it protects users of its operating system from more than 2 billion suspicious calls and messages per month, using artificial intelligence.
More updates
Google also announced the implementation of another security tool. Android 16 smartphone users will be able to indicate their “trusted places,” 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 while away from these locations, such as viewing saved app passwords, changing the device’s PIN, pattern, or password, or disabling the location locator.
This feature can be found in the security settings, in the “Anti-theft” section.
In addition, the new Factory Reset Protection function, when activated, will require user credentials. Resetting a device is a common technique used by criminals to bypass cell phone security mechanisms.
“If a thief attempts to skip the setup process on a phone that has this feature enabled, the device will become unusable and can only be restored using the owner’s credentials,” Google said in the announcement.
The company has also made standard theft detection and remote locking, features that were previously optional.
Theft detection lock automatically locks a cell phone screen when it detects movement that indicates theft, such as when someone grabs the device and starts it up.
Remote Lock, which previously allowed you to lock your cell phone with a single tap, now has the option to add a security question, preventing third parties from locking the device without the owner’s consent.
About The Author
