Best Free Scam-Checking App

This week, my mother contacted me to inquire whether a message she had received from a delivery service was legitimate. Fortunately, she is quite adept at identifying scams and understands what signs to look for. It is certainly beneficial to have a son who serves as the Security Editor for a prominent technology website to consult with.
But clearly, not everyone has access to such a resource—and that is precisely where Malwarebytes' new Scam Guard AI chat can be of assistance. 

What Is Malwarebytes AI-Powered Scam Guard Chatbot? 

Malwarebytes Scam Guard is a complimentary AI chatbot that is integrated into Malwarebytes Mobile Security, which is the security company's free application for smartphones.

Download: Malwarebytes Mobile Security for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

Scam Guard essentially performs as its name suggests. It is intended to deliver an immediate assessment of whether the content you are viewing or an email that has arrived in your inbox is a scam.

Thus, rather than attempting to determine if what you are examining is a scam that could compromise your banking information, you can take a screenshot or paste the questionable content into Scam Guard, and it will promptly begin analyzing what it is, and most crucially, provide you with advice on how to remain secure.

It is worth noting that Malwarebytes is not the pioneer in offering an AI chatbot capable of identifying phishing emails and other online scams. Bitdefender introduced a comparable premium product in 2024, and users have been utilizing ChatGPT and other AI chatbots for this purpose since their launch. However, Malwarebytes Scam Guard stands out for several reasons. 

First, Malwarebytes Mobile Security is a full security app for your smartphone. It has a heap of other protections worth using, not least its malware detection. Second, while using ChatGPT and other AI chatbots to detect scams is useful, they don't have the same extensive catalog of malware, scams, and phishing data as Malwarebytes.

Oh, and better still, it's a free tool, which means you can install it on almost any device running Android or iOS.

How to Open Malwarebytes Mobile Security and Find the Scam Guard AI Chatbot

Once you download Malwarebytes Mobile Security, fire it up. You need to tap through a few screens to get to the Scam Guard.

1   On the initial screen, choose Get Started.
  2  You should now see the Malwarebytes Plus subscription options, where the application invites you to Try for free. However, click the X in the upper left corner to go back to the previous screen.
3    Now, on the Let's keep you protected screen, click Allow. This will prompt the application to inquire if you wish to enable notifications, which you may decline.

You should now proceed to launch the actual Malwarebytes Mobile Security application, where, if you scroll down, you will discover the Scam Guard tool.

 How Effective Is Scam Guard in Identifying Scams?

Prior to suggesting that you install Scam Guard on the smartphones and other devices of your family members, I tested Scam Guard against several scam emails and text messages I have received lately, including one from my mother. In summary, I am confident that Scam Guard is knowledgeable in this area and will assist you in promptly determining whether you are at risk of being scammed or not. 

1. Email Advising Me to Avoid Kegels  

 Initially, I received an email containing extraordinary medical advice, which typically raises significant concerns. In this instance, I was advised to refrain from performing kegels based on groundbreaking research conducted by a Ukrainian physician (the relevance of the physician's nationality remains unclear to me!).

I shared an email that encapsulates the essence of the message. Scam Guard recommended that I approach it with skepticism, but also inquired whether I could provide the email address and URL that the email was attempting to direct me to.

Upon receiving this information, Scam Guard indicated that although the email address and URL do not appear in its scam database, it strongly recommends disregarding the email as it follows a typical scam pattern.

2. You've Won an Unexpected Prize! 

This one was much easier. I received an email claiming that I'd won some new Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Smart Glasses, which is remarkable, as I didn't enter a competition.

Within a few seconds, Scam Guard confirmed that this is a phishing email, and I should avoid it at all costs.

3. A Suspicious Text Message From a Real Service

 

During the week, I received an email that claimed to be from a legitimate service, notifying me that the request I had submitted for a rewiring job was "almost complete."

Since I had not made any such request, I suspected that this was a type of scam. However, determining this was further complicated by the fact that the message contained links to the actual website, and the service is indeed commonly utilized for such requests.

Scam Guard indicated that this message exhibited several characteristics of a scam, particularly noting that it originated from a mobile number (rather than a registered account), and that the URL included in the message appeared to be dubious.

4. A Fake Shipping Invoice Request 

This is the communication that was directed to my mother, asking her to revise her shipping details. It follows a typical scam template aimed at acquiring your information, yet it can be challenging to identify since it seems to connect to a legitimate website.

What complicated the situation at first glance was that my mother was anticipating the arrival of two packages—precisely what the fraudulent message asserted required information. Scammers exploit this ambiguity to obtain your data, and regrettably, it proves effective quite often. 

In this case, Scam Guard identified the fake email URL and found that it had nothing to do with the shipping service; this wasn't actually that easy to do with a regular internet search. It confirmed our suspicions that this was a phishing email that just happened to get its timing right and sow some seeds of doubt. Indeed, I nearly fell for a well-timed Netflix phishing scam that just happened to land when my account was up for renewal and I'd had some trouble signing in. 

5. Earn Heaps of Money Through TikTok 

My final test was one of the most obvious scams in my inbox: earn up to £800 per day in my spare time! And wouldn't you know it, the message was sent by TikTok's HR Department!

Scam Guard unraveled this scam instantly, with a big old red flag and a message saying, "Don't touch this at all."

 Malwarebytes Scam Guard Provides an Effortless Method to Safeguard Your Loved Ones Against Scams

I must express my admiration for Malwarebytes Scam Guard. It is user-friendly, delivers a nearly immediate response, and offers a transparent rationale for its actions. Additionally, it is free to use, and since it is compatible with both Android and iOS devices, you can install it on virtually any smartphone to provide essential scam protection.

However, there are a few minor challenges that you may need to navigate. For instance, you will have to instruct users on how to long-press URLs and phone numbers to copy them without opening them, or how to take a screenshot and subsequently paste it into Scam Guard. In this regard, it is not entirely automated. I would suggest that taking a screenshot and submitting it to Scam Guard is the most effective approach, as it prevents someone from inadvertently engaging with a phishing URL, fraudulent SMS, or other harmful content. Nevertheless, this is a minor inconvenience compared to the capabilities of Scam Guard's AI chatbot, which can assist in identifying scams and provide tailored advice for each scenario.

While Scam Guard may not prevent your family and friends from becoming victims of every scam, I am sufficiently impressed that I will be installing it on the smartphones of my children, parents, and grandparents.