WhatsApp tests Scam Alert feature to help users spot fraud messages

WhatsApp is testing a new feature designed to warn users before a conversation with an unknown contact turns into an online scam. Called Scam Alert, the tool currently appears only for some Android users enrolled in the app’s beta program.

The feature was identified in WhatsApp beta version 2.26.34.1 for Android by WABetaInfo. It can alert a user when a message from an unknown contact appears to show signs of fraud. The sender does not receive a notification that the recipient has seen the warning.

After the warning appears, the user can decide how to handle the chat. They can mark the sender as trusted, block the contact or report it to WhatsApp. If they mark the conversation as trusted, WhatsApp may also offer to share the last five messages from the chat. Those messages would be used to improve the system’s ability to identify possible scams.

Scam Alert will not be switched on automatically. Users will have to activate it themselves in the Android app’s settings, under Settings, Account. Meta says the detection system uses a machine-learning model that operates directly on the user’s device. Messages are not sent from the phone to servers for analysis, nor automatically forwarded to WhatsApp, Meta or another party.

The feature is intended to add protection without weakening existing end-to-end encryption. WhatsApp has not announced when Scam Alert will become available to everyone, but it remains in testing with a portion of its Android beta users.