WhatsApp To Roll Out On-Device Scam Alert Feature To Combat Rising Fraud: Here's How It Works
· Free Press Journal
WhatsApp is preparing to introduce a new 'Scam Alert' feature designed to help users identify and avoid suspicious messages without compromising their privacy. The upcoming safety tool, first reported by WABetaInfo, will scan messages locally on the user’s device and display warnings when it detects potential scam attempts from unknown contacts.
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What is WhatsApp scam alert?
The Scam Alert feature aims to tackle the growing threat of online fraud on messaging platforms. Scammers often use unknown numbers to create urgency or panic in order to deceive users.
Instead of automatically blocking conversations, the new feature will notify users with a clear warning banner inside the chat, empowering them to make informed decisions. Users will have the option to block and report the sender or trust the contact and continue the conversation.
How the scam alert will work
When enabled, WhatsApp will analyze incoming messages from unknown numbers directly on the device. If suspicious patterns are detected, a banner saying something like 'This may be a scam' will appear.
Key highlights of the feature include:
- Fully on-device processing - No messages will be sent to WhatsApp or Meta servers for analysis.
- User control - The alert only informs; it does not restrict the chat.
- Local transparency reports - Users can view when and how often the Scam Alert was triggered, stored privately on their device.
This approach is expected to significantly boost user safety while maintaining WhatsApp’s strong end-to-end encryption standards.
Scam Alert will be an opt-in feature, disabled by default. Users who want extra protection will need to manually enable it from the app settings. The company has not yet rolled out the feature to beta testers.