Avoid tax scams with these 5 Google tools

Tax season runs up to the April 15 deadline, and fraudsters ramp up their activity. Alloy's annual State of Fraud report found a 67 percent increase in fraud attempts, with tax-related refund update scams the most common. Google published a post sharing tools and tips to avoid getting scammed this tax season.

Google says Pixel users experience 70 percent fewer spam calls thanks to Call Screen, which detects and filters out spammers. The company added an opt-in feature called Scam Detection alerts in the Pixel Phone app that uses AI to monitor calls in real time and notify the user—sending a notification, sound alert, and vibration—when a conversation starts to sound like a scam.

Scam Detection is already built into Google Messages on Android, and Circle to Search adds another layer. Long-press the home button on Android and circle a suspicious message or post to have Circle to Search fact-check it. On iOS, use Lens in the Google app: take a screenshot of the message, open Lens, and tap the screenshot for Google to evaluate it.

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