Israel Cyber Directorate Warns of Fraudulent Google Robocalls from Iran

A new wave of fraudulent robocalls is targeting users across Israel, utilizing pre-recorded messages in English that impersonate official security alerts from Google. The Israel National Cyber Directorate has issued an urgent warning regarding the scam, which is designed to induce panic among recipients.

According to the Directorate, the recorded message falsely claims that suspicious activity originating from Tehran has been detected on the user's account. The prompt states that a phone number change was registered and urges the recipient to press '1' if they did not authorize the modification, or to take no action if the change is familiar.

Cybersecurity officials emphasize that these calls are entirely fraudulent and that receiving the call does not indicate that an account has actually been compromised. The scammers deliberately leverage the mention of Tehran to create a sense of urgency and fear, pushing victims into acting impulsively.

Official Security Recommendations

To counter this rising threat, the Israel National Cyber Directorate has published clear guidelines for the public:

• Hang up immediately: Do not press any buttons on your keypad and do not continue the conversation.

• Never share information: Do not disclose passwords, SMS verification codes, or authorize uninitiated actions.

• Verify independently: If you are concerned about your account's security, access the official Google application or website directly to check your security settings, never relying on links or phone numbers provided in suspicious calls.

Citizens who have received such calls or suspect they may have compromised their personal data are encouraged to contact the National Cyber Directorate's emergency hotline at 119 for immediate reporting and consultation.