Truecaller launches Scam Checker to detect fraudulent links and messages

Truecaller has launched Scam Checker, a free web and Android tool designed to help users identify fraudulent phone numbers, URLs, and text messages. Unlike the company’s primary service, this tool does not require an app installation or a user sign-in to function.

The service works by expanding shortened URLs, following redirects to find final destinations, and cross-referencing them against Truecaller’s proprietary risk databases and other fraud signals. For text messages, the tool extracts embedded links or numbers to check against ScamFeed, a crowdsourced scam forum. While the tool provides fraud warnings, it will not reveal the names linked to phone numbers unless a user signs into the main Truecaller service.

The rollout is beginning in India, with plans to expand to Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Truecaller reported analyzing 12.9 billion messages worldwide in a single week this month, identifying 20.3 million as fraudulent.