Truecaller Launches Scam Checker as It Expands Beyond Caller ID

Truecaller is expanding beyond caller ID with Scam Checker, a new web and Android service that lets users check suspicious phone numbers, links and messages without signing in.

The free tool is launching first in India and will later expand to Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and Southeast Asia. Truecaller says it is designed for the growing number of scams that now arrive through messaging apps, SMS and web links rather than traditional phone calls.

Scam Checker uses reports from Truecaller’s community-driven ScamFeed alongside its own risk database and other fraud signals. More detailed information about phone numbers, including associated names, remains available through Truecaller’s existing signed-in service.

Scam Checker follows links and surfaces community reports

When a user submits a suspicious link, the service expands shortened URLs, follows redirects to the final destination and checks the result against Truecaller’s fraud intelligence. Users can also paste messages, allowing the tool to identify embedded phone numbers or links and display related scam reports.

The shift reflects how fraud has moved across multiple channels. A 2025 GSMA survey of Indian adults found that among respondents who reported being scammed, 46% were approached through messaging apps, 37% through SMS and 32% through voice calls.

Truecaller estimates that people make about 14 million web searches each month to verify suspicious links and phone numbers, based on its analysis of search demand and traffic to existing verification services.

Truecaller is broadening its fraud-detection business

The company says about 20,000 scam reports are currently live on ScamFeed in India, with roughly 1,300 new reports added each week. Between September 14 and 20, Truecaller said it evaluated 12.9 billion messages globally and flagged 20.3 million as fraudulent.

Truecaller plans to expand the types of scams Scam Checker can detect and add support for screenshot uploads.

The launch comes as Truecaller’s core caller ID business faces greater competition in India from telecom operators, government-backed caller-name services, and spam-protection features from Apple and Google.

CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala said the company’s protection strategy must evolve as scams spread from phone calls into links, messages, voice and video.