The feature is currently available to a limited number of users of the beta version of WhatsApp on Android devices, and its scope will be expanded in the future. How does the feature work?
The “Scam Alert” feature scans messages from unknown contacts and analyzes patterns that are commonly associated with scams. If suspicious indicators are detected, a warning appears within the conversation stating that the message “may be a scam.”
This warning does not appear to the sender of the message, while the user can block and report the contact, or consider the conversation trusted.
The feature also provides a local log that displays warning activation times and messages classified as suspicious, in addition to the version of the artificial intelligence model used in the analysis, allowing the performance of the anti-fraud system to be reviewed.
Analyzing messages inside the phone
The feature relies on a machine learning model that runs directly on the user’s device, which means that messages are not sent to WhatsApp, Meta, or any external server for analysis.
However, the user can voluntarily share some data with Meta to help improve the system. When a conversation classified as suspicious is considered trustworthy, the last five messages from it can be shared with WhatsApp. Meta says this data will be used to improve the model and reduce cases of misclassification.
Limited availability
The “Scam Alert” feature is disabled by default, and the user must enable it manually. It is still available to a very limited number of users, and installing the latest compatible beta version of WhatsApp for Android does not guarantee its appearance.
According to circulating information, WhatsApp is also planning to launch the feature on iPhone devices, but the company has not set an official date for its wide availability.
The step comes with the increase in fraud through calls and messages, coinciding with the development of artificial intelligence tools that help fraudsters prepare more convincing messages, which prompts messaging and communication platforms to develop new means to confront these attempts.
WhatsApp recently launched other security features, including support for adding multiple passkeys, and the ability to modify the passcode by adding special letters and symbols in addition to numbers.
