Google is ramping up its efforts to combat digital fraud in India by launching on-device scam detection for Pixel 9 devices and new alerts for screen-sharing in financial apps.
As more individuals go online and depend on smartphones for payments, shopping, and government services, digital fraud has surged in India. In 2024, fraud linked to digital transactions made up over half of all reported bank fraud, with 13,516 cases leading to losses of ₹5.2 billion (around $58.61 million), according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The Ministry of Home Affairs noted that online scams caused estimated losses of ₹70 billion (about $789 million) in the first five months of 2025. Many incidents likely go unreported, as victims may not know how to file complaints or wish to avoid further scrutiny.
On Thursday, Google announced it is expanding its real-time scam-detection feature, which leverages Gemini Nano to analyze calls on-device and flag potential fraud without recording audio or sending data to Google’s servers. This feature is off by default and only applies to calls from unknown numbers, signaling participants with a beep during the conversation. It initially launched in the U.S. in March as a beta for English-speaking Pixel 9 users.
Google confirmed to TechCrunch that the on-device scam detection will start with Pixel 9 and later models in India, tailored for English-speaking users, with alerts also provided only in English. This limitation could impact its effectiveness in a country where Android holds nearly 96% of the smartphone market, while Pixel devices had a market share of less than 1% in 2024. The language barrier is also significant, as most users in India primarily rely on non-English languages—something that Google and other companies like Amazon have recognized by incorporating Indian languages into their services in recent years.
The tech giant is working to extend scam detection to non-Pixel Android phones but has not shared a timeline for this rollout.
Google also announced a pilot program in India involving financial apps like Navi, Paytm, and Google Pay to tackle screen-sharing scams. These scams often involve fraudsters convincing victims to share their screens to retrieve one-time passwords, PINs, and other sensitive credentials during calls. This feature was first revealed at Google I/O in May and initially tested in the U.K.
Users with devices running Android 11 or newer will receive alerts, including a one-tap option to end the call and stop screen sharing. Google confirmed to TechCrunch that it plans to partner with more apps and will provide alerts in Indian languages as well, although specifics were not disclosed.
For several months, Google has been utilizing its Play Protect service in India to block predatory loan apps by prohibiting the sideloading of third-party apps that request sensitive permissions often exploited for fraud. The company reported that this service blocked over 115 million installation attempts this year. Google Pay also issues more than a million warnings each week for transactions flagged as potentially fraudulent, according to the company.
Additionally, Google is running its DigiKavach awareness campaign on digital fraud, which has reached over 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 related non-banking financial companies to help curb malicious activities.
Earlier this year, Google introduced a Safety Charter in India to enhance its AI-driven fraud detection and security initiatives, as part of a broader strategy to deploy additional AI tools in the country to tackle rising fraud.
However, significant challenges remain in Google’s efforts to curb digital fraud in India. Like Apple, Google has faced scrutiny for allowing fake and misleading apps to appear on its app store despite review processes designed to filter out fraudulent submissions.
In recent years, law enforcement and security researchers have pointed out investment and loan apps used in scams that remained available on the Play Store until they were intervened upon. These incidents highlight the difficulty Google faces in regulating an ecosystem that dominates the country’s smartphone market.
