WhatsApp Tests Scam Alert: Here’s How to Enable the New Feature to Detect Suspicious Messages

WhatsApp is testing a new Scam Alert feature that uses on-device artificial intelligence to identify potentially suspicious messages from unknown senders. The feature is designed to help users spot scams involving money requests, personal information and other common fraud tactics.

It is currently available to a limited group of beta testers and is not enabled by default. Users with access will need to manually activate the feature and download the required AI model. Importantly, scam detection takes place directly on the smartphone, meaning WhatsApp does not automatically send the messages being analysed to Meta's servers, helping maintain user privacy.

How to Turn On WhatsApp Scam Alert

The Scam Alert feature is optional and needs to be enabled manually. If the feature is available on your WhatsApp account, follow these steps:

1. Open WhatsApp on your smartphone and make sure the app is updated to the latest available beta version.
2. Open WhatsApp Settings by tapping the three-dot menu on Android or the Settings tab on iPhone.
3. Find the Scam Alert option under the relevant privacy or security settings. The option may not be visible on all devices during the testing phase.
4. Enable Scam Alert if the feature is available. WhatsApp may ask you to confirm before activating the feature.
5. Download the AI model when prompted. The machine learning model is downloaded directly to your smartphone and is used to analyse suspicious conversations.
6. Wait for the system to detect potential scams. Once activated, the on-device AI looks for common scam patterns in messages from unknown senders, including urgent money requests, attempts to obtain personal information and other suspicious behaviour.
7. Check the warning banner if WhatsApp identifies a potentially risky conversation. The alert will appear within the relevant chat.
8. Choose what to do next. Users can block or report the sender, dismiss the warning, or mark the sender as trusted.
9. Provide feedback if offered. WhatsApp may let users voluntarily share the last five messages from a trusted sender to improve scam detection. This requires explicit user consent.

How Does WhatsApp Scam Alert Protect Privacy?

WhatsApp's approach relies on on-device AI processing, meaning the messages being analysed are processed on the user's smartphone rather than automatically uploaded to Meta's servers. This is particularly important for WhatsApp, where conversations are protected by end-to-end encryption.

The feature remains in limited beta testing, and Meta has yet to confirm when it will be rolled out to all users. Its availability, settings and functionality could also change before the wider release.