Truecaller has launched Scam Checker, a new web and Android service designed to help users identify suspicious phone numbers, links and messages without requiring an app or account. 

The Swedish company said the service builds on scam intelligence collected from its large community of users.

Users can submit a suspicious phone number, link or message for analysis. The service checks submitted links against Truecaller’s risk database and other fraud signals, while suspicious messages can be analyzed for phone numbers and links associated with scam reports. 

More detailed information about a phone number remains available through Truecaller’s existing service.

Scam Checker will initially be available in India before expanding to Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and Southeast Asia. 

Truecaller said the service is designed to respond to the growing spread of scams through messaging applications, text messages and online links rather than through phone calls alone.

The company said its community has thousands of scam reports and continues to generate new information about fraudulent activity. 

Truecaller also plans to expand the types of scams its system can identify and introduce screenshot analysis. 

The move comes as the company faces increasing competition from built in caller identification and spam protection features offered by major smartphone platforms.

Source: TechCrunch