Truecaller has launched Scam Checker, a web and Android service that lets users paste a suspicious phone number, link, or message to see if it's fraudulent. The free tool requires no sign-in and is initially available in India, with plans to expand to Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The service checks submitted links by expanding shortened URLs and following redirects, then compares them against Truecaller's proprietary risk database and community reports. More detailed information, such as the name associated with a number, still requires Truecaller's existing sign-in service. The company says about 20,000 scam reports are live on its ScamFeed in India, with around 1,300 new reports added weekly; between September 14 and 20, it evaluated 12.9 billion messages globally and flagged 20.3 million as fraudulent.
The move comes as Truecaller's core caller ID business faces pressure in India, its largest market with more than 350 million users. Telecom operators are rolling out a government-backed Calling Name Presentation service, and Apple and Google have added their own caller identification and spam-protection features. Truecaller also criticized a recent regulator order requiring caller-ID apps to share user-submitted spam reports with telecom operators. Scam Checker serves as lead generation for its app and can improve its enterprise fraud and risk products, though CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala said the tool itself is aimed at consumers.