Technical / Google India's website to inform people about coronavirus-related online scams

Technology: Google India on Wednesday launched a new website focused on COVID-19 related security risks which is now available in regional languages such as Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Bangla. The website will inform about online risks and scams and help users stay safe online. Also Read - Google Pixel 4A teased by hardware chief ahead of May 22 launch

During the past couple of weeks, Google‘s advanced machine-learning classifiers have globally seen 18 million daily malware and phishing attempts related to COVID-19, in addition to more than 240 million COVID-related spam messages. Also Read - Google Pixel devices start receiving May 2020 Android security patch

“The Google Threat Analysis Group continuously monitors for sophisticated hacking activity, and their security systems have detected a range of new scams such as phishing emails posing as messages from charities and NGOs battling COVID-19, directions from “administrators” to employees working from home, and even notices spoofing healthcare providers,” the company said in a statement. Also Read - Huawei P30 Pro New Edition with Google Mobile Services is set for launch; reveals company data

With many of the COVID-19 related scams coming in the form of phishing emails, it’s important to pause and evaluate any COVID-19 related email before clicking any links or taking other action. According to the tech giant, users should be wary of requests for personal information such as home addresses or bank details.

Google systems have also spotted malware-laden sites that pose as sign-in pages for popular social media accounts, health organizations, and even official coronavirus maps. To help protect you against these risks, the company has built advanced security protections into Google products to automatically identify and stop threats before they ever reach users.

Google machine learning models in Gmail already detect and block more than 99.9 percent of spam, phishing, and malware. Also, the security built into the Chrome browser also protects users by alerting them in case of fraudulent websites. Moreover, Google Play Protect scans millions of apps in Google Play to safeguard users against any such risks, the company said.