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Google says Google.org will provide $6 million to The Asia Foundation and the Tech for Good Institute for scam-resilience programs in Asia Pacific. The company also outlined product protections and partnerships, but the announcement does not specify how the grant will be divided or give measurable targets for its programs.
Google.org announced $6 million in funding for The Asia Foundation and the Tech for Good Institute to support efforts against online scams in Asia Pacific, as Google also described new and existing product protections and industry partnerships. The company said the funded work will train communities, support AI-powered defense prototypes and provide policymakers with insights, but it did not publish a detailed timeline or allocation for the grant.
Google presented the funding as one part of a broader response to scams, which it described as increasingly complex and linked to organized groups operating across borders. The company said its approach combines protections in products and platforms, coordination with other organizations and local education. These details come from Google’s own report; it did not provide an independent evaluation of the programs’ effectiveness.
Among the product measures, Google said Android launched Fake Call Detection this year to identify potential AI-driven impersonation calls. The feature is built on open RCS technology, which Google said could allow other platforms to adopt similar protections. Google also said Pixel devices can flag suspected scams in several popular messaging apps and that it plans to bring the feature to more Android users later this year. The report did not name the additional devices or set a rollout date.
Google said it is expanding Android developer verification to address malicious apps distributed outside Google Play. It also pointed to the Industry Accord Against Online Scams and Fraud, which it said it joined earlier this year, and the recently established Japan Anti-Scam Alliance. Google.org, the company said, helped launch a global philanthropy collaboration on scams. Separately, the company is expanding its Be Scam Ready educational game from Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan to Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Funding Local Scam Defenses
The announcement brings together technical safeguards and community-level programs, reflecting that scam prevention involves more than blocking suspicious calls or apps. Training and locally tailored information may help individuals and small businesses recognize fraud, while shared threat intelligence could help institutions coordinate responses. Those are stated goals, not reported outcomes: Google provided no figures on how many people the new grant will reach or how much it expects scam losses to change.
The scale figures cited in Google’s report underline the potential stakes, while requiring care in interpretation. Google said a recent United Nations report estimated scam losses across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand at up to $114.1 billion in 2025. It also reported that more than 40% of ASEAN consumers were said to experience scams. The source does not provide the underlying survey details or definitions in its announcement, so the figures should not be treated as a direct measure of the impact of Google’s programs.
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Products, Alliances and Regional Training
The announcement builds on efforts Google says are already underway in the region. The company cited support for Singapore-based Bamboo Builders and the Taiwan FactCheck Center, which provide specialized local training. It also described the ASEAN Foundation’s Scam Ready ASEAN initiative as a source of prevention resources for people across the region. The report gives no reach figures for those efforts.
Google said Be Scam Ready uses simulated examples of common scams to help people practice recognizing them. Its planned expansion adds five markets to the three it named as already served. This education work sits alongside the company’s account of new partnerships: the Industry Accord is intended to support threat-information sharing and coordinated defenses, while JASA brings together public and private institutions in Japan. Google did not list the organizations involved or outline specific actions taken by either alliance.
““Tackling these highly organized networks requires a unified effort.””
Grant Details and Impact Still Unknown
The announcement does not say how the $6 million will be divided between the two recipient organizations, when the projects will begin, how long they will run or which countries will receive grant-funded activities. It also gives no targets for training, prototype development or policy support, and no independent measures of whether the efforts reduce scam exposure or losses.
Several product and partnership details remain open. Google did not specify when Fake Call Detection or messaging-app scam alerts will reach additional Android users, which markets will get them first, or how developer verification will apply to apps distributed outside Play. The report does not detail the data-sharing arrangements or operational plans of the industry groups it named. The cited regional loss and consumer-experience estimates also lack methodology in the announcement.
Rollouts and Grant Programs Ahead
Google said scam alerts will come to additional Android users later this year, but gave no release schedule. It also plans to expand Be Scam Ready to Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam; the report did not provide launch dates for those versions.
The next substantive updates will need to come from Google.org and the two grant recipients: project timelines, country-level plans, participation targets and ways to measure results. Google also said it would continue advocating for global collaboration, though it announced no specific next meeting or commitment from the alliances in its report.
Key Questions
What did Google announce?
Google.org announced $6 million in funding for The Asia Foundation and the Tech for Good Institute to support scam-resilience work in Asia Pacific.
What will the funding support?
Google said the work will include community training, development of AI-powered defense prototypes and insights for policymakers. It did not publish a detailed budget or project schedule.
Which Android protections did Google describe?
Google cited Android’s Fake Call Detection feature, scam alerts in Pixel’s supported messaging apps and expanded developer verification for apps distributed outside Google Play. It said scam alerts are planned for additional Android users later this year.
Where will Be Scam Ready expand?
Google said the scam-awareness game is planned for Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The company did not give launch dates.
Has Google shown that these programs reduce scams?
No impact results were included in the announcement. Google described planned and existing protections and partnerships but did not provide independent evaluations or evidence that the programs have reduced scam losses.
Source: blog.google
