Google Chatbot Promotes Fake Crypto Scam

A new crypto scam has been uncovered by cybersecurity researchers at Malwarebytes. The scammers created a convincing chatbot pretending to be Google's AI assistant, Gemini, which is pitching a fake cryptocurrency called 'Google Coin.'

The chatbot is embedded on a fraudulent presale website that mimics Google's branding and features the chatbot claiming to be part of Google Gemini.

The bot walks visitors through an investment pitch and encourages them to send cryptocurrency payments, citing a presale price of $3.95 per token and an expected listing price of $27.55. The chatbot refuses to provide verifiable information about the company behind it and repeatedly returns to the same talking points.

Malwarebytes warns that AI-powered scams like this are likely to become more common, relying on two powerful psychological tricks: impersonating a trusted brand and using conversational AI to create a sense of legitimacy. The researchers recommend watching for red flags such as chatbots claiming to represent major AI brands on unrelated websites.