You Can Use the Circle to Search Feature to Spot Scams on Android.
Android users are getting more tools to combat the seemingly endless stream of scams from scammers seeking to steal your data and money. Circle to Search and Google Lens can now evaluate messages for signs of fraud, and if a potential scam is detected, you’ll receive recommendations on what to do (or not do) next. Even if you think you know the telltale signs of a scam—a sense of urgency, demands for money or personal information, a login or payment link—using these tools can confirm your suspicions, especially when you’re feeling pressured.
Use the Circle feature to identify scams.
To activate the Circle to Search feature, press and hold the Home button or navigation bar on your device and circle the text you want to scan. Alternatively, you can take a screenshot, open Lens in the Google app (also available for iOS), and tap the screenshot. The feature works for text messages, messaging apps, and social media. Google states that this feature becomes available “when our systems are confident in the quality of the response.”
This is just the latest in Google’s security features designed to protect against fraud. Pixel users benefit from real-time fraud detection using artificial intelligence, which identifies and alerts them to suspicious messaging patterns in Google Messages and Phone by Google. Call protection for Android prevents certain actions, such as installing new apps and changing access permissions, from occurring on your device while on a call with anyone not in your contacts.
Earlier this month, Google also expanded its call fraud detection feature , designed to combat banking data scams, and is now available to users in the US. If you’re on a call with a number not in your contacts and try to open a participating financial app, you’ll receive a notification reminding you not to share information, along with the option to stop screen sharing and end the call with a single tap.