NordVPN is launching a free Scam Scanner, a tool that lets anyone analyze suspicious emails, messages, and SMS for signs of danger, without needing an account or subscription. Cybercriminals are using AI to craft phishing messages so convincingly that even the most cautious internet users have trouble distinguishing a legitimate message from a scam.
The Scam Scanner works with text and images. Users can paste a message or upload a screenshot, and the tool will extract any URL, email address, or phone number to search them in known threat databases. In addition, an AI algorithm will examine the body of the message for patterns commonly used in scams, such as intimidating tactics or a false sense of urgency.
“AI has made phishing messages and scams much harder to detect. The days when a poorly written email was an obvious red flag are behind us. Scammers can now generate highly personalized and sophisticated messages at scale, and that’s why we created this tool—to give people an easy way to verify any message that looks suspicious,” says Domininkas Virbickas, NordVPN’s product director.
How the Scam Scanner Works
A new study from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance reveals that consumers in 42 countries lost about $442 billion to scams last year, and 57% of adults worldwide say they have fallen victim to fraud during that period. As AI enables criminals to craft personalized and sophisticated phishing messages at scale, these figures are expected to rise.
The Scam Scanner supports text, as well as screenshots in .jpg and .png formats (up to 10 MB), and can review up to five email addresses or URLs and five phone numbers per analysis. Right now, this tool is only available in English and works on any device—desktop, laptop, phone, or tablet.
This tool has been developed by NordVPN’s cybersecurity team and NordLabs, who compile a massive real-time threat database and use advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to continually improve their detection capabilities.
This solution is designed to complement the NordVPN Threat Protection Pro, which defends you automatically and in real time against online threats. While Threat Protection Pro is included in certain NordVPN plans, the Scam Scanner is available to everyone at no cost. It is a first line of defense that anyone who receives a suspicious message can rely on.
