WhatsApp Launches On-Device Scam Detection Feature

Meta introduced an optional Scam Alert feature for WhatsApp that uses on-device machine learning to identify potential fraud without sending message content to external servers.

The system analyzes conversational patterns in messages from unknown contacts and displays private warnings, allowing users to block, report, or mark senders as trusted.

Meta is conducting a limited beta rollout and has published the technical architecture and model weights to allow independent security researchers to verify privacy protections.