WhatsApp is testing a new Scam Alert feature that uses on-device machine learning to identify potentially fraudulent messages from unknown contacts and warn users before they engage with them.
The feature is currently being made available to a limited number of Android beta testers. It has been spotted in recent WhatsApp beta builds, although the company has not announced a date for a wider public rollout.
Scam Alert is designed to analyse incoming messages from unknown contacts for patterns associated with potential scams. When the system identifies a suspicious message, WhatsApp displays a warning within the conversation indicating that it may be a scam.
Users can then decide how they want to proceed. They can block and report the contact or mark the conversation as trusted and continue interacting with the sender. The warning is not visible to the person who sent the message.
A key element of the feature is its approach to privacy. The machine-learning model operates locally on the user's device, meaning messages do not have to be sent to WhatsApp or Meta for scam classification. The approach is designed to work alongside WhatsApp's existing end-to-end encryption.
Scam Alert is also optional and is disabled by default. Users with access to the beta feature can enable or disable it through their WhatsApp account settings. The limited rollout will allow WhatsApp to test the system before potentially expanding availability to a broader user base.
The feature adds to Meta's wider push to use artificial intelligence and behavioural signals to identify fraudulent activity across its platforms. Earlier this year, the company introduced WhatsApp warnings for suspicious device-linking requests, designed to prevent scammers from tricking users into connecting their accounts to another device.
Meta has also been deploying AI systems to detect impersonation, deceptive links and other scam patterns across its services. The company said it removed more than 159 million scam advertisements globally in 2025 and took down 10.9 million Facebook and Instagram accounts associated with criminal scam centres.
WhatsApp has separately strengthened account security by replacing its six-digit two-step verification PIN with a stronger password system, providing more context around calls from unknown numbers and allowing users to register multiple passkeys.
The Scam Alert test extends those security measures directly into conversations with unknown senders, giving users an additional warning before deciding whether to respond, trust or report a contact.
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