Washington: Meta has launched a new optional AI-powered scam alert feature on WhatsApp, currently rolled out as a limited test version to warn users about potential fraud.

According to a report by tech publication 'The Verge', the feature—dubbed "Scam Alert"—triggers a warning banner when AI detects that an active conversation may be part of a fraudulent scheme. Users are presented with immediate options to block the contact, report the account, or continue chatting.

If a warning is issued incorrectly, users can mark the interaction as trusted to dismiss the alert for that specific thread. Users also have the option to share the last five messages of the chat with WhatsApp to help refine the tool's accuracy.

The rollout follows Meta's launch earlier this year of an automated scam detection tool designed to flag suspicious linked-device requests on WhatsApp.