Parents getting scam calls? Truecaller lets you stop them remotely
What's the story
Truecaller, the popular caller ID platform with over 450 million users, has launched a new feature to protect families from fraud calls. The feature allows one person in a family or friends group to become an admin. The admin gets alerts about fraudulent calls received by other group members and can even end those calls on Android on their behalf.
Expansion details
New feature available globally
The new feature was first launched in December, but only in select countries like Sweden, Chile, Malaysia, and Kenya. After seeing positive results, Truecaller decided to expand it globally including India where it has the largest user base. The feature is free of charge and allows users to create groups even without a paid Truecaller plan.
User control
How to set up a group
The tech-savvy member of a family or friends group can become the admin of a group with up to five members. Once all members join, the admin gets alerts about potentially fraudulent calls they receive. If the call looks harmful, they can even end it remotely. However, while admins get alerts for fraud calls on iOS and Android devices, ending calls is only possible for Android users.
Enhanced functionality
Admins can also track real-time activities of members
On Android devices, members can also give permission to the admin to detect real-time activities like walking or driving, battery level, and phone sound settings (to check if the phone is on silent). This feature helps admins keep an eye on elderly members and only call them when they're not busy with these activities.
User empowerment
Admins cannot see call or SMS history
The admin can also block specific numbers and international calling codes, as well as share a blocklist with group members. However, it's important to note that the admin cannot see the non-spam call history or SMS history of group members. This ensures data privacy while still giving the admin enough control over potential fraud calls.
AI integration
Truecaller is also using AI to screen calls
Truecaller is also looking to use AI to screen calls and automatically drop them when certain scam-related words are detected. These include "digital arrest," a tactic where scammers pose as police officers to extract information or money from the recipient. The company has also introduced a voicemail feature for Indian users, which uses an AI assistant to summarize calls when users are unavailable.