Hot on the heels of its explanation of Advanced Browsing Protection on Facebook Messenger, Meta has revealed a series of new anti-scam tools across a number of its products.
Covering WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger, the new tools are designed to help protect users from a range of scams including impersonation and device linking. Unsurprisingly, there is a leaning on AI to help power some of these protective tools.
Meta uses a blog post to not only announce the availability of these new tools, but also to highlight the work it is doing to fight scammers and raise awareness. Part of the process of protecting users is providing them with information, and empowering them to make informed choices. This is something that is reflected in the approach taken with the various tools Meta shares details of:
WhatsApp device linking warning: Scammers may try to trick you into linking your WhatsApp account to their device. For example, they may urge you to share your phone number, followed by a device linking code on your WhatsApp or try to trick you into scanning a QR code under false pretenses, which would then link the scammer’s device to your account.
To stay ahead of these tactics, WhatsApp will now alert you when behavioral signals suggest a linking request might be suspicious. These alerts will show you where the request is coming from and warn that it could be a scam, giving you the chance to pause and reconsider before it happens. Visit the WhatsApp Help Center for more ways to stay safe when linking your device on WhatsApp.
Facebook alerts for suspicious friend requests: We are testing new warnings on Facebook to help you navigate suspicious accounts. When you send or receive a request from an account that shows certain signs of suspicious activity, including when you do not have many mutual friends with them or they indicate a different country location in their profile – you’ll see an alert to help you make an informed decision to block or reject suspicious requests.
Expanding advanced scam detection on Messenger: We are rolling out advanced scam detection on Messenger to more countries this month. When a chat with a new contact may contain patterns of common scams like suspicious job offers, we warn you and ask if you’d like to share recent chat messages for an AI scam review. If a potential scam is detected, you will get more information on common scams, and we’ll suggest actions to take including blocking or reporting the suspicious account.
Meta shares information about artificial intelligence is helping to combat impersonation of public figures and celebrities, often meaning that issues are dealt with before users even experience them.
There is also some helps advice in the blog post, so check it out here.
