Truecaller introduces a feature to block scam calls for family members

Caller identity platform Truecaller has introduced a new feature that allows one person to act as the admin of a family group, receive alerts about fraud calls being made to other members, and even end those calls on their behalf if they suspect a family member may be at risk of being scammed.

The company, which has more than 450 million users, first rolled out the feature in December across a limited number of countries, including Sweden, Chile, Malaysia, and Kenya. After seeing encouraging results, Truecaller said it would expand the feature globally, including in India, which remains the company’s largest market. The feature is free to use, and users can create groups even without subscribing to a paid Truecaller plan.

With this feature, a more tech-savvy member of a family or friend group can serve as the admin for a group of up to five people. Once the remaining members join, the admin can receive alerts about potentially fraudulent calls that those members receive. If the admin believes the call poses a risk, they can also disconnect it remotely. Truecaller said admins can receive fraud-call alerts for members on iOS or Android, but remote call-ending is currently available only for Android members.

On Android, group members can also allow the admin to view real-time signals such as whether they are walking or driving, their battery level, and their phone’s sound settings, including whether the device is in silent mode. Truecaller said this can help admins monitor elderly family members and avoid calling them when they are moving around or driving.

The admin can also block specific numbers and international calling codes and share a blocklist with the rest of the group.

Truecaller noted that admins cannot access the regular call history or SMS history of group members, as long as those calls are not marked as spam.

“I think, unfortunately, all of us know somebody or another in our families or friends who have been impacted by fraud,” Kunal Dua, chief product officer at Truecaller, said. “In that sense, it’s a fundamental shift for Truecaller in terms of what we’ve been focusing on as a problem,” he added.

Last year, Truecaller launched a voicemail feature for users in India that included an AI assistant capable of answering calls when a user is unavailable and then providing a transcript summary. The company is now considering a similar AI-driven approach for family protection, which could eventually notify an admin about the type of scam call a group member may be receiving.

Truecaller is also exploring the use of AI to screen calls and automatically disconnect them when certain scam-related phrases are detected, such as “digital arrest” — a scam tactic in which fraudsters pose as law enforcement officials to pressure people into sharing information or sending money.

In India, scam calls have increased over time and have caused financial damage across the country. Truecaller said it identified more than 7.7 billion fraud calls last year. Indian authorities have responded with several initiatives, including a controversial policy known as SIM binding, which could interfere with how apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram function.

The company is also facing broader business pressure. Its stock has fallen by more than 80% over the past 12 months. In its Q4 2025 report, Truecaller said its EBITDA — a measure of operating profitability — dropped 49% year over year, while ad revenue declined by 31%. The company is also dealing with competition from India’s Caller Name Presentation, or CNAP, system, which displays a caller’s name based on information registered with the telecom carrier. Truecaller has argued that simply showing a caller’s name is not enough to reduce spam calls, saying its own service provides more value through community reporting and broader context.

“In India, there has been much talk about the imminent rollout of CNAP,” Truecaller CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala said during the Q4 2025 earnings call. “CNAP is partially rolled out, and so far, the impact on our user growth is limited. As we have said in the past, we expect that CNAP might have some impact on user growth, but that remains to be seen as CNAP reaches a full rollout.”

Jhunjhunwala added, “Our focus continues to be on delivering a superior product, and as you are aware, the consumer can choose to have CNAP and Truecaller in parallel, where we provide a lot more information and a lot more context and various other solutions, for the consumer.”