A Las Vegas man says he was duped by a scam that appeared in Google’s new AI-generated search results, highlighting growing risks as artificial intelligence tools shape how people access information online, according to The Washington Post.
Alex Rivlin told the Post he was preparing for a European cruise when he searched Google for Royal Caribbean’s customer service number. Google’s “AI Overviews” feature highlighted a number that connected him to a convincing representative who knew details about shuttle services and fees. Rivlin provided his credit card details and agreed to pay $768, only to later discover bogus charges. “I’m pretty technologically advanced, and I fell for this,” Rivlin said.
The Post reported that the number Rivlin called has also been presented online as belonging to other cruise companies, such as Disney and Princess. Analysts said scammers are recycling old tricks by planting fake numbers across websites, which AI systems then repeat as legitimate answers. Mike Blumenthal, a consumer search behavior expert, told the Post that manipulating these new AI tools is “like shooting sitting ducks.”
Google said in a statement cited by the Post that its AI and search results generally direct users to official contact information and that it has “taken action” on the fraudulent numbers identified. OpenAI, whose ChatGPT was also found to surface the same phone number, said that many of the fraudulent pages have since been removed but updates take time.
Cybersecurity experts told the Post that consumers should be cautious of phone numbers appearing in AI responses or chatbot outputs and instead verify contacts directly through company websites or apps.
Back from his trip, Rivlin said he canceled his card and had the charges reversed, but he’s warning others: “I can’t believe that I fell for it. Be careful.”
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