WhatsApp May Soon Flag Scam Messages Before You Fall for Them

WhatsApp is testing a new Scam Alert feature that can warn users when messages from unknown contacts show signs commonly associated with fraud. The feature currently has very limited availability among Android beta testers.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp displays a “This may be a scam” warning directly inside conversations that its detection system considers suspicious.

WhatsApp can flag suspicious messages automatically

Scam Alert focuses on messages from unknown contacts and looks for patterns associated with common scams.

When WhatsApp detects suspicious activity, it places a warning inside the affected chat. The sender cannot see that WhatsApp has displayed the warning.

Users can then block and report the contact, or mark the conversation as trusted if they believe WhatsApp made a mistake.

The feature remains disabled by default, so users who receive access must manually turn it on.

Scam detection runs directly on the device

WhatsApp uses an on-device machine learning model to analyze incoming messages.

The app does not automatically send those messages to WhatsApp, Meta, or external servers for analysis. This approach allows WhatsApp to scan for potentially fraudulent behavior while keeping message processing on the user’s device.

Users can voluntarily provide information to Meta to help improve the detection system.

For example, if WhatsApp flags a conversation and the user marks it as trusted, the app can offer an option to share the last five messages with WhatsApp.

Meta says it will use this information to improve its model and reduce false positives.

WhatsApp also includes a Scam Alert activity log

Users who enable Scam Alert can review a local activity log showing how the feature has operated.

The log records when Scam Alert was enabled and identifies messages that the system flagged as suspicious.

It also shows which version of the scam detection model analyzed the messages, giving users more visibility into the feature’s behavior.

Scam Alert remains limited to a small beta test

WhatsApp currently offers Scam Alert to only a limited number of Android beta testers.

Installing the latest compatible WhatsApp beta does not guarantee access because the company appears to control availability through a limited rollout.

The feature is also expected to reach iOS, although WhatsApp has not announced when that will happen.

WhatsApp has not provided a date for a broader public release either.

The Scam Alert test comes as WhatsApp continues changing other parts of the messaging service. Recent updates introduced improved polls, all mentions, and faster group chats, while another security change replaces six-digit PINs with alphanumeric passwords for two-step verification.