Meta launches new AI-powered anti-fraud tools

These tools are designed to help users of these platforms spot and avoid scammers, the company said in a Wednesday press release

Meta has launched new artificial intelligence-powered anti-scam tools for its platforms WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger.

These tools are designed to help users of these platforms spot and avoid scammers, the company said in a Wednesday press release.

Across our apps, our systems find and remove malicious accounts, Meta said in the release. But we know that scammers try to avoid our detection and may not immediately use accounts maliciously. Our teams of experts built new tools to alert you before engaging with something suspicious.

For WhatsApp, the company added a device linking warning that will alert users when a linking request may be suspicious. The alert will show where the request is coming from and warn that it could be a scam. This is designed to prevent a scam in which bad actors try to trick WhatsApp users into linking their account to another device.

For FaceBook, Meta is testing new warnings that alert users about suspicious friend requests. These will alert users when they send or receive friend requests involving an account that shows signs of suspicious activity.

For Messenger, the company is expanding its advanced scam detection to additional countries. This feature provides users with a warning when their chat with a new contact contains patterns of common scams. If a potential scam is detected by Meta’s artificial intelligence scam review, the company will provide information on common scams and suggest actions the user can take.

We’re continuing to detect and disrupt sophisticated scam operations, including by working with industry peers and law enforcement around the world, Meta said in the release. We do this because we know that criminal networks target people regardless of borders and across messaging, dating apps, social media, crypto and other apps.