Email scams are a persistent problem, and even though the old Nigerian prince scam has become a meme, more modern scams can be difficult to detect. Statistics show that nearly 3.4 billion phishing emails are sent daily. To help combat this, Gmail is implementing a new feature on its mobile platform that will make it easier for users to identify legitimate emails. This feature, already available on the desktop version, will now be accessible to the majority of Gmail users who rely on their mobile app.
The feature uses two important standards: Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) and a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). These standards ensure that emails displaying these marks are highly unlikely to be from a malicious source. To qualify for BIMI and VMC, senders must have their brand logo and domain verified by an independent third party. This stringent process makes it incredibly difficult for scammers to obtain these certificates. Therefore, the presence of both BIMI and VMC indicates that the email is likely trustworthy.
Gmail is also adding support for Common Mark Certificates (CMC). If a sender doesn’t have a trademark, they can’t receive the VMC, but they can still qualify for BIMI. In these cases, the brand avatar will appear without the verified checkmark.
Over the coming weeks, users will start seeing these verification icons on the official Gmail app. If you use a third-party email platform like Apple Mail or Outlook, you won’t see the avatars or checkmarks. This feature is coming to both iOS and Android platforms. If you can’t see the update yet, ensure you’re running the most recent version of the Gmail app. If that doesn’t work, give the rollout some time to reach you. This new feature from Gmail is a welcome addition to the fight against phishing scams. It will make it much easier for users to identify legitimate emails and protect themselves from being victims of fraud.
