Google's comes out with ScamStopper to combat online fraudsters

Google has launched a new initiative Scam Spotter to dodge the online fraudsters. Google launched this website in partnership with Cybercrime Support Network for educating people about various scams and help them avoid it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused cybercriminals to be more active and as per Google, “more than $40 million in fraud losses have been reported related to COVID-19 scam.

Scam Spotter aims to train internet users to identify common scams that use social engineering to trick people into believing messages from government agencies, lottery companies and others. Google is simply asking people to apply three ‘golden rules’ - Slow it down, Spot Check, Stop! Don't send - that, Google says, can help you identify and dodge most scams, including those creating a sense of urgency, offering incentives, or promising COVID-19 Stimulus checks. Along with the information about scams, Scam Spotter also offers a quiz section that lets you check your ability to distinguish between a scammer and a legitimate individual.

It puts users through a series of scam scenarios and let them judge whether it is safe or not. Finally, the score is shown to reflect how aware users are at spotting scams. The tool from Google comes as part of an effort to thwart scammers' attempt to dupe unsuspecting people in the name of lottery wins, COVID-19 vaccines, government benefits, among other things.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, more than $40 million has been stolen due to COVID-19 scams and the figure across the board could go past the $2 billion mark by 2020-end.Google has requested youngsters to share Scam Spotter with seniors, as they lose more money than other age groups due to scams.

"It will take a cross-generational effort," Vint Cerf, a pioneer in the development of the internet said in a Google blog post. "If we learn how to spot the bad actors, we can spend our time focusing on those moments that matter."