Overview
- WABetaInfo found code for a feature called Scam Alert inside a WhatsApp Android beta, indicating the tool is under development.
- Scam Alert is reported to analyze messages entirely on the user’s phone so message content is not sent to WhatsApp or Meta servers.
- If a message from an unknown contact appears suspicious, the app would display an in‑chat banner saying “This may be a scam” and present choices to block and report or to trust the chat.
- WhatsApp is said to build a local transparency tool that keeps activity logs on the device and to make Scam Alert optional and disabled by default.
- The details come from a third‑party beta discovery and have not been confirmed by WhatsApp, but the feature follows the company’s recent pattern of adding on‑device safety tools to balance user protection with privacy.