THE APEX TIMES
Alphabet’s Google is expanding mobile defenses, threat-intelligence sharing, and community education efforts across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand as scam losses climb.
Google is rolling out a broader set of anti-scam measures across the Asia Pacific region, combining new protections built into Android and messaging with partnerships across industry and local organizations. In a company update on Tuesday, Google linked the move to what it described as increasingly organized fraud campaigns driven by transnational criminal networks.
Google said it is scaling defenses against complex scams in Asia Pacific through Android feature updates, industry collaboration, and education efforts that target both individuals and small businesses. The initiative also includes what calls direct support for local groups, with $6 million in funding aimed at improving scam resilience in communities across the region.
A key part of Google’s case is the scale of losses it attributes to scams operating across multiple markets. Google cited a recent United Nations report stating that in 2025, scam losses across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand reached up to $114.1 billion, with over 40% of ASEAN consumers saying they had experienced scams. Google positioned these figures as evidence that fraud is no longer confined to isolated incidents and requires coordination to counter.
On the product side, Google said Android this year introduced “Fake Call Detection,” a feature designed to identify AI-driven phone call impersonation. Google described the technology as being built on open RCS (Rich Communication Services) technology, which it said could allow other platforms to adopt similar call detection protections.
Google also said that on Pixel devices it is expanding built-in scam detection to alert users to potential scams from multiple popular messaging apps. The company said it is partnering to bring the alerting capabilities to additional Android users later this year, indicating a phased rollout beyond the initial set of devices.
Google added that it is expanding Android developer verification to help protect people from malicious apps distributed outside Google Play. The company did not provide additional technical detail in the post, but framed the expansion as an effort to raise barriers against malicious software circulating through alternative app distribution channels.
Beyond defenses that live inside consumer devices, Google pointed to broader coordination mechanisms designed to share threat intelligence and align responses. Earlier this year, Google said it joined industry peers to sign the Industry Accord Against Online Scams and Fraud, which it described as a collective approach to sharing threat intelligence and coordinating defenses.
Google said it also helped establish the Japan Anti-Scam Alliance, or JASA, building on the Industry Accord to enable public and private institutions in Japan to deploy aligned anti-scam measures. In parallel, said it helped launch the Global Anti-Scams Philanthropy Collaborative, a cross-industry philanthropic effort focused on combating scams globally.
’s regional funding is intended to translate those coordination themes into training and early-stage defenses at the community level. The company said it announced $6 million in grants to The Asia Foundation and the Tech for Good Institute, with plans that include training local communities on building scam resilience, incubating AI-powered defense prototypes, and providing policymakers with insights intended to strengthen threat measures. Google also said its funding builds on earlier local efforts, including work with Bamboo Builders in Singapore and the Taiwan FactCheck Center, along with expansion of the ASEAN Foundation’s Scam Ready ASEAN initiative to deliver scam prevention resources to millions. Separately, Google said it is expanding “Be Scam Ready,” a scam-awareness educational game that simulates common scams, to Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Google said the game is already available in Singapore, Thailand, and Taiwan.
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