Overview

• The European Commission sent formal information requests to the four companies to detail how they prevent financial scams on their services.
• Regulators will examine fake banking apps in Apple’s App Store and Google Play, deceptive search results in Google and Microsoft’s Bing, and fraudulent accommodation listings on Booking.
• Officials said the requests are fact‑finding measures that do not allege violations but could lead to DSA probes with significant penalties.
• EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen cited rising losses from online fraud exceeding €4 billion annually and noted that generative AI is complicating detection.
• Apple defended its antifraud systems and warned that EU rules enabling alternative app distribution could weaken user protections.