Tech giant, Google has introduced a new security feature on Android that can detect and flag suspected impersonation calls in real time, as the company moves to counter the growing threat of AI-powered voice cloning scams that cost the world over $400 billion last year.

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The feature, called fake call detection, was announced on the company’s official blog and is rolling out globally this month to Android 12 and above devices, starting with Pixel phones. It works automatically by default and requires no manual activation from users.

The announcement comes as impersonation fraud continues to escalate worldwide.

INTERPOL’s March 2026 Global Financial Fraud Threat Assessment identified impersonation fraud as one of the leading contributors to over $400 billion in global financial losses, while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission recorded $2.95 billion in losses from impersonation scams in 2024 alone.

For Nigerian users, who have increasingly been targeted by voice cloning and caller ID spoofing attacks, the feature represents a direct line of defence built into the phone itself.

What Google is saying 

Google said the feature works like a digital handshake between two devices. When a contact calls and both parties are using Phone by Google, the caller’s device sends a silent encrypted confirmation signal to verify the call is truly originating from their device.

  • If a scammer spoofs the contact’s number, that confirmation signal will be absent. The recipient’s device immediately pings the real contact’s phone to verify. If the contact’s device confirms it is not making a call, the user receives an on-screen warning to hang up immediately.
  • The verification process runs on end-to-end encrypted Rich Communication Services technology, meaning the exchange is completely private and invisible to anyone outside the two devices involved.

Google said the feature is built on RCS, an open standard, deliberately making it possible for other phone manufacturers and app developers to adopt the same technology across the industry.

  • “Security shouldn’t be limited to just one type of phone or app. We want to raise the bar across the industry to help protect as many people as possible,” the company said.

More insights 

Scammers have increasingly combined two tactics to execute impersonation attacks. First, they spoof a familiar contact’s phone number by routing calls through internet-based software. Then they deploy AI deepfake audio tools to replicate the voice of a family member, employer, or authority figure — creating a deception that experts say most people can no longer detect by ear alone.

The fake call detection feature is designed to catch both tactics simultaneously, removing the burden of detection from the user entirely.

  • Phone by Google is already the default phone application on the majority of Android devices globally. Users whose devices run a different default app can install Phone by Google from the Play Store and set it as their primary phone application to activate the protection.
  • The feature can be disabled at any time through the Phone by Google app settings for users who prefer to manage it manually.

What you should know 

Fake call detection is the latest addition to a broader set of scam protections Google has been building across its products. The company already runs AI-powered scam detection in Google Messages, which flags malicious texts automatically, and offers scam call detection for Pixel and Samsung users through the Phone by Google app.

In May 2024, Nairametrics reported that Google announced a new suite of artificial intelligence features for Android devices, including a real-time scam detection tool powered by its Gemini Nano AI model.

The technology giant unveiled the updates during its annual developer conference, where it showcased several AI-driven innovations aimed at enhancing user safety and improving the Android experience.

According to Google, Gemini Nano will enable Android phones to identify potential scam calls in real time, alerting users to suspicious activity and helping them avoid fraudulent schemes before they become victims.