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Incident 941: AI-Driven Phishing Scam Uses Deepfake Robocalls to Target Gmail Users in Credential Theft Campaign

Description: A sophisticated AI-powered phishing scam has reportedly been targeting between 1.8 to 2.5 billion Gmail users, allegedly using deepfake robocalls and phishing emails to steal credentials. Attackers impersonate Google security. They claim suspicious account activity and direct victims to fake Google login pages. The stolen credentials have reportedly been used for identity theft, banking fraud, and session hijacking. The FBI has urged vigilance as AI increases the scale and effectiveness of such attacks.
Editor Notes: The incident date of 05/08/2024 refers to the publication of the FBI San Francisco office's alert. The scams had presumably been ongoing for a while before the alert. A significant uptick in reporting occurred in late January and early February 2025, often citing that FBI warning. For specific variations of these attacks, please also refer Incidents 839 and 942.

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Alleged: Unknown deepfake technology developer and Unknown AI tool providers developed an AI system deployed by Unknown scammers , Unknown cybercriminals and Scammers impersonating Google employees, which harmed Google users and Gmail Users.
Alleged implicated AI systems: Unknown robocall system , Unknown deepfake apps , Google authentication system and Gmail

Incident Stats

Incident ID
941
Report Count
13
Incident Date
2025-02-17
Editors
Daniel Atherton

Incident Reports

Reports Timeline

+1
Warning to all 1.8bn Gmail users over 'devastating' scam stealing data
Google takes action after coder reports 'most sophisticated attack I've ever seen'Gmail Security Warning For 2.5 Billion Users—AI Hack Confirmed+9
Gmail AI Phishing Attacks Skyrocket: FBI Warns Users to Take Action Now Before It's Too Late
Warning to all 1.8bn Gmail users over 'devastating' scam stealing data

Warning to all 1.8bn Gmail users over 'devastating' scam stealing data

dailymail.co.uk

FBI Warns of Increasing Threat of Cyber Criminals Utilizing Artificial Intelligence

FBI Warns of Increasing Threat of Cyber Criminals Utilizing Artificial Intelligence

fbi.gov

Google takes action after coder reports 'most sophisticated attack I've ever seen'

Google takes action after coder reports 'most sophisticated attack I've ever seen'

theregister.com

Gmail Security Warning For 2.5 Billion Users—AI Hack Confirmed

Gmail Security Warning For 2.5 Billion Users—AI Hack Confirmed

forbes.com

Gmail AI Phishing Attacks Skyrocket: FBI Warns Users to Take Action Now Before It's Too Late

Gmail AI Phishing Attacks Skyrocket: FBI Warns Users to Take Action Now Before It's Too Late

techtimes.com

Virgin River fan swindled out of thousands by fake Martin Henderson

Virgin River fan swindled out of thousands by fake Martin Henderson

express.co.uk

How AI was used in an advanced phishing campaign targeting Gmail users

How AI was used in an advanced phishing campaign targeting Gmail users

malwarebytes.com

Alert issued to all Gmail users following 'AI scam'

Alert issued to all Gmail users following 'AI scam'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Millions Of Gmail Users On Red Alert: Devastating Effects Could Happen If You Click This Link

Millions Of Gmail Users On Red Alert: Devastating Effects Could Happen If You Click This Link

ibtimes.co.uk

Gmail Users on Red Alert: AI-Powered Scam Puts Personal Data at Risk

Gmail Users on Red Alert: AI-Powered Scam Puts Personal Data at Risk

colitco.com

Gmail users targeted by AI-driven phishing scam

Gmail users targeted by AI-driven phishing scam

techcentral.ie

Thailand Faces Surge Of AI-Driven Gmail Phishing Scams

Thailand Faces Surge Of AI-Driven Gmail Phishing Scams

evrimagaci.org

FBI warns over Gmail AI scam targeting 1.8 billion people around the world

FBI warns over Gmail AI scam targeting 1.8 billion people around the world

ladbible.com

Warning to all 1.8bn Gmail users over 'devastating' scam stealing data
dailymail.co.uk · 2024

All 1.8 billion Gmail users have been issued a 'red alert' over a scam that lets hackers gain access to accounts.

The attack uses AI to craft deepfake robocalls and malicious emails capable of bypassing security filters.

The combination wor…

FBI Warns of Increasing Threat of Cyber Criminals Utilizing Artificial Intelligence
fbi.gov · 2024

SAN FRANCISCO---The FBI San Francisco division is warning individuals and businesses to be aware of the escalating threat posed by cyber criminals utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) tools to conduct sophisticated phishing/social enginee…

Google takes action after coder reports 'most sophisticated attack I've ever seen'
theregister.com · 2025

Google says it's now hardening defenses against a sophisticated account takeover scam documented by a programmer last week.

Zach Latta, founder of Hack Club, told of how close he was to succumbing to voice phishers who attempted to take ove…

Gmail Security Warning For 2.5 Billion Users—AI Hack Confirmed
forbes.com · 2025

Update, Feb. 1, 2025: This story, originally published Jan. 30, has been updated with further mitigation advice for spotting deepfake AI-powered threats, a statement from Google about the sophisticated Gmail attack, and a comment from a con…

Gmail AI Phishing Attacks Skyrocket: FBI Warns Users to Take Action Now Before It's Too Late
techtimes.com · 2025

Protecting your Gmail account is more critical than ever. With the rise of AI-driven phishing attacks and other sophisticated threats, Gmail users are increasingly at risk of being targeted by cybercriminals.

If you want to safeguard your p…

Virgin River fan swindled out of thousands by fake Martin Henderson
express.co.uk · 2025

In a shocking case of deception, another unsuspecting individual has fallen victim to the online catfish phenomenon, this time with a scammer impersonating none other than celebrity Martin Henderson of Netflix's Virgin River fame.

A 47-year…

How AI was used in an advanced phishing campaign targeting Gmail users
malwarebytes.com · 2025

In May, 2024, the FBI warned about the increasing threat of cybercriminals using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their scams.

At the time, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp said:

"Attackers are leveraging AI to craft highly convinci…

Alert issued to all Gmail users following 'AI scam'
manchestereveningnews.co.uk · 2025

Gmail users have been warned to lookout for a worrying scam that uses AI to trick people out of their money. The highly sophisticated and 'devastating' attacks use the tool to create 'highly convincing' voice or video messages.

Reports of t…

Millions Of Gmail Users On Red Alert: Devastating Effects Could Happen If You Click This Link
ibtimes.co.uk · 2025

Gmail users are on red alert as cybercriminals deploy a new AI-powered scam designed to steal personal information and take full control of accounts. These highly sophisticated and deceptive attacks are becoming harder to spot, making it ea…

Gmail Users on Red Alert: AI-Powered Scam Puts Personal Data at Risk
colitco.com · 2025

Gmail users are being issued a stark warning about a new and highly sophisticated scam that employs artificial intelligence (AI) to deceive users into divulging personal information, putting their accounts and sensitive data at serious risk…

Gmail users targeted by AI-driven phishing scam
techcentral.ie · 2025

A major cyber security threat targeting Gmail users worldwide has been identified. This scam uses artificial intelligence (AI) to create highly convincing deepfake robocalls and e-mails designed to trick victims into revealing sensitive inf…

Thailand Faces Surge Of AI-Driven Gmail Phishing Scams
evrimagaci.org · 2025

Phishing scams have evolved significantly, with recent reports highlighting the alarming rise of AI-related phishing attempts aimed at Gmail users in Thailand. Cybercriminals are increasingly utilizing artificial intelligence to design more…

FBI warns over Gmail AI scam targeting 1.8 billion people around the world
ladbible.com · 2025

An artificial intelligence scam targeting almost two billion people using Google's Gmail function has been labelled as having 'devastating' impacts on its victims.

Keeping our data safe from those looking to steal it is an increasingly diff…

Variants

A "variant" is an incident that shares the same causative factors, produces similar harms, and involves the same intelligent systems as a known AI incident. Rather than index variants as entirely separate incidents, we list variations of incidents under the first similar incident submitted to the database. Unlike other submission types to the incident database, variants are not required to have reporting in evidence external to the Incident Database. Learn more from the research paper.

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