Truecaller launches tool to check suspicious phone numbers, links, messages
What's the story
Truecaller, the Swedish company known for its caller ID service with over 500 million users, has launched a new tool called Scam Checker. The innovative service is available on both web and Android platforms and allows users to check the authenticity of a suspicious phone number, link or message. The tool works by pulling related reports from Truecaller's community, ScamFeed.
Tool functionality
How scam checker works
Scam Checker works by checking the link provided by the user, expanding shortened URLs, and following redirects to their final destination.
It then compares these against its proprietary risk database and other fraud signals.
The service can also be used to check a suspicious message by extracting a phone number or link from it and pulling related reports from the Truecaller community.
Global reach
Scam checker to expand beyond India
Truecaller plans to expand the reach of Scam Checker beyond India.
The company has said that the tool will soon be available in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and Southeast Asia.
This expansion is part of Truecaller's strategy to tackle scams that have evolved from phone calls to text messages, messaging apps, and web links.
Community involvement
Truecaller's community plays a key role
Truecaller's community is a major part of its scam detection strategy.
The company told TechCrunch that there are about 20,000 live scam reports on ScamFeed in India, with around 1,300 new reports added every week.
Between September 14 and September 20 alone, Truecaller analyzed 12.9 billion messages worldwide and flagged 20.3 million as fraudulent.
Future plans
Future plans for scam checker
In the future, Truecaller plans to expand the types of scams that Scam Checker can detect and add screenshot uploads for further analysis.
The company's move comes as its core business faces new challenges in India, its largest market with over 350 million users.
Telecom operators are launching a government-backed caller ID service while Apple and Google have introduced their own caller identification and spam protection features.