Technology
Google search led to a costly scam call
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You book a flight. You reschedule. Then you try to handle travel insurance quickly so you can move on with your day. That’s exactly what happened to Rosette. She was trying to reach Allianz, a large travel insurance company that many airlines direct customers to after booking.
Within seconds, she was talking to a scammer who sounded completely legitimate. Here’s how she described it:
“I Googled Allianz and clicked on the phone number. It was answered within 1 second. . . . It was NOT Allianz I was speaking to. They have my Citicard number and my date of birth. . . . When I questioned it, he said ‘I will not charge your card’ and disconnected.”
That realization hits hard. Suddenly, you start replaying everything in your head. Maybe you thought you knew what to look for. Still, the frustration sets in fast. Here’s the truth: This happens every day to smart, careful people. And the scams keep getting more convincing.
TECH GIANTS UNITE TO FIGHT ONLINE SCAMS
Fake phone numbers in search results are fueling a surge in travel insurance scams targeting unsuspecting callers. (Yuliya Taba/Getty Images)
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How this fake travel insurance phone scam works
This is known as a search result scam, and it is one of the fastest-growing fraud tactics right now.
Here’s the typical playbook:
- You search for a company like a travel insurance provider, airline or your bank
- A fake phone number appears at the top of the results or in an ad
- You call and reach a professional-sounding call center
- The scammer acts helpful, fast and confident
- They ask for payment details or personal information
In Rosette’s case, there were several clear signs once you step back:
- The call was answered instantly
- The pricing felt unusually high
- The email came from a fake domain
- The agent pushed for authorization
Once she questioned it, the scammer disconnected. That’s classic behavior.
Why this phone scam is so easy to fall for
This is not sloppy fraud. It’s polished, fast and designed to catch you when you are distracted. Here’s why it works so well:
1) You trust search results
Most people assume search results are safe. Scammers exploit that trust with fake listings and ads.
2) Timing creates pressure
You are often dealing with travel changes, delays or deadlines. That lowers your guard.
3) They sound legitimate
These are not obvious scammers. Many operate scripted call centers with trained agents.
4) They move fast
Answering within seconds creates the illusion that you reached the right company.
SSA IMPERSONATION SCAMS ARE GETTING MORE PERSONAL
A quick Google search led one woman to a convincing scam call center posing as a legitimate insurer. (golibo/Getty Images)
What information did the scammer actually get?
In Rosette’s situation, the scammer obtained:
- Credit card number
- Date of birth
That combination matters. Even without an immediate charge, scammers often:
- Test small transactions later
- Attempt identity-based fraud
- Sell your data to other criminals
This is why you should treat it as a compromised card situation, even if nothing has been charged yet.
What this means to you
This type of scam does not rely on hacking your device. It relies on tricking you into calling the wrong number. That means anyone can fall for it.
You could be booking travel, fixing a billing issue or calling tech support. One wrong click puts you in direct contact with a scammer who already sounds like the real company.
The danger is not just the initial call. It is what happens next if your information is reused or shared.
How to protect yourself from fake phone scams
Here’s how to protect yourself from this exact scenario moving forward:
1) Never trust phone numbers from search results
Always go directly to the company’s official website and find the contact page there.
2) Use the number on your card or confirmation email
These are far more reliable than anything you find through a quick search.
3) Watch for instant answers and pressure
Real companies rarely answer instantly and push for immediate payment details.
WHY THAT $4 CHARGE ON YOUR STATEMENT COULD BE FRAUD
A traveler searching for Allianz support reached a scammer instead, exposing personal and financial information in seconds. (fizkes/Getty Images)
4) Check the email domain carefully
If it does not match the official company domain, it is a red flag.
5) Replace compromised cards immediately
Do not wait for fraud to appear. Request a new card number right away.
6) Turn on real-time alerts
Enable transaction alerts so you can catch suspicious activity early.
7) Freeze your credit if personal data is exposed
This adds a strong layer of protection against identity theft.
8) Consider identity theft protection
If your personal information was exposed, identity theft protection can monitor your identity, alert you to suspicious activity and help you respond quickly if something goes wrong. See my tips and best picks on Best Identity Theft Protection at Cyberguy.com.
9) Remove your personal data from public databases
Data broker sites collect and sell your personal details. Removing your information reduces the chances scammers can find and target you again. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
What Rosette did right
It’s important to call this, out because it matters.
- She questioned the pricing
- She challenged the caller
- She stopped before a charge went through
- She contacted her bank quickly
Those steps significantly reduced the damage. This could have gone much further.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Scams like this are not about being careless. They are about being human. You were trying to solve a problem quickly. The scammer was ready for that exact moment. The biggest takeaway is simple: Slow down when money or personal information is involved. Even a few extra seconds to verify a phone number can make all the difference. And if something feels off, trust that instinct.
If you needed to call your bank or airline right now, would you trust the first number you see online? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Relativity Space, the rocket company led by former Google executive Eric Schmidt, was picked to launch NASA’s Aeolus payload to Mars in 2028, as reported earlier by TechCrunch. Under a new public-private partnership, Relativity Space will provide the “spacecraft, rocket, and cruise operations” to fly Aeolus to Mars, where the payload will “provide the first integrated, daily, global view of Martian winds, temperatures, dust, and clouds.”
The Aeolus payload will have four instruments on board for studying the Martian atmosphere, which NASA says will “directly inform entry, descent, and landing systems and support safer, more predictable mission planning for astronauts.”
Schmidt, who served as CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011, became Relativity Space’s CEO in 2025, a couple of years after it launched the “world’s first 3D-printed rocket,” Terran 1, which failed shortly after launch. Relativity Space’s larger Terran R rocket isn’t scheduled to have its first launch until later this year.
Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, looks out into crowd during the New York Times annual DealBook summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 04, 2024, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.
IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:
– Jeff Bezos predicts AI will create a labor shortage, not replace human workers across the economy
– OpenAI faces multistate investigation into data handling and chatbot behavior
– AI-designed ‘universal vaccine’ passes first human clinical trial, could prevent future pandemics
WORK IN PROGRESS: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) won’t lead to the replacement of humans in the workforce and will instead create labor shortages.
Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, during a panel session on day three of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, January 18, 2024. (Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
UNDER SCRUTINY: OpenAI faces a multistate investigation led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, scrutinizing its data handling, minor safety and chatbot behavior. This comes as the company reportedly slashes product prices and prepares for a potential IPO, amid accusations from Florida’s AG regarding unsafe product releases.
FUTURE-PROOFED: A vaccine created using artificial intelligence that could potentially provide broader protection against multiple coronaviruses and help prepare for future outbreaks has passed its first human clinical trial.
POWER STRUGGLE: As data center projects continue to get shut down across the country, “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary and other investors are warning that the facilities are needed to compete with China in the artificial intelligence race.
TABLES TURNED: As artificial intelligence (AI) companies race toward IPOs and scramble to construct data centers, a new Fox News Poll finds voters now view Big Tech — not Big Government — as the greater threat to the nation’s future, a striking turnaround from seven years ago.
PERSONAL SHOPPER: Amazon Alexa and Echo VP Daniel Rausch discusses the extensive A.I. overhaul of Alexa, now dubbed Alexa+. He explains new capabilities like personalized shopping assistance for Prime Day and more. Rausch emphasizes the vision to make customers’ lives easier, announcing global expansion into over 10 additional countries, including Brazil, while supporting devices up to eight years old.
Amazon says Alexa.com allows conversations to carry over across devices, giving users continuity between laptops, phones and smart home screens. (Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
AUTOPILOT WARFARE: We are watching a fundamental restructuring of how military power works, and most of the institutions responsible for governing it are still thinking in the previous century. And this is all due to how AI is rapidly changing warfare.
RESTORING INDEPENDENCE: In honor of America’s 250th birthday, Meta is donating Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses to every legally blind veteran. Army veteran Don Overton, who served in the 82nd Airborne, describes how the glasses have restored his independence and dignity. Meta President Dina Powell McCormick highlights Don’s collaboration with Meta to optimize features for blind veterans.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg sported a pair of Meta Ray-Ban Display AI glasses while speaking at the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. As part of its push to make smart glasses a mainstream device, the company introduced its first model featuring an integrated display. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
SILICON SHIELD: The Senate Banking Committee convened a hearing June 11 around a question that cuts to the core of American competitiveness and the American Dream: Can the United States ensure that rapid advances in artificial intelligence support “innovation, affordability, and American dominance?
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Five months after returning to OpenAI, Barret Zoph — the company’s head of enterprise AI sales — has departed, The Verge has learned.
Zoph returned to OpenAI in mid-January after a stint as co-founder and CTO of Thinking Machines Lab, the competing AI company founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. Shortly after Zoph returned to OpenAI, the company said he would lead its push into enterprise — a significant role at OpenAI, since in recent months it had vowed to stop chasing so-called “side quests” and focus on key revenue drivers like enterprise and coding ahead of its planned IPO.
OpenAI confirmed to The Verge that Zoph will be departing. He posted a goodbye message in the company’s Slack channels. Zoph did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zoph originally left OpenAI in the fall of 2024 for Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab, but departed the role abruptly in January 2026 after reports of alleged misconduct involving an undisclosed relationship with a colleague. Murati posted on X in January that Thinking Machines Lab had “parted ways” with Zoph and that he would be replaced as CTO.
Thinking Machines Lab has its own tensions with OpenAI. Murati briefly took over as CEO from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during his November 2023 ouster, and during the recent OpenAI trial, Murati testified that she couldn’t trust everything Altman said. In September 2024, when Murati left OpenAI to start Thinking Machines Lab, a group of OpenAI employees followed shortly after. But three of them — including Zoph — all returned to OpenAI together this past January. Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, wrote on X at the time that she was “excited to welcome Barret Zoph, Luke Metz, and Sam Schoenholz back” and that the decision had “been in the works for several weeks.”
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