Scam message checker: is this message a scam?

Already replied, paid or shared a code?

1. Shared a password or a code? Secure your account now: change your password and check where you’re logged in. See hacked Facebook account recovery or account recovery scams.
2. Sent money or card details? Contact your bank or payment provider straight away. Meta’s Dating Safety Policy also says to contact local law enforcement if you think you’ve sent money to a scammer.
3. Report and block the sender in the app, so the platform can review the chat: Messenger, Instagram, Marketplace, Facebook Dating.
4. Report the fraud to your national service, for example ReportFraud.ftc.gov, Action Fraud – report fraud and cyber crime, Report fraud and cybercrime, Report a scam.

We can’t recover accounts or money, and we never ask for passwords, codes or payment. Anyone who offers to “get it back” for a fee is likely running another scam.

The 28 warning signs we check

Most signs are based on official guidance we’ve read; a few link checks are our own notes. Strong signs, such as a request for a code or a fee to “recover” an account, are reasons to stop on their own. Mild signs are common in genuine messages too, so they only matter alongside others.

Rule set version 1.0.0, reviewed November 11, 2026. 22 signs are about the wording and 6 are about links.

How we test it: results on our own example messages

Every time the site is built, the checker is run on the 10 example messages from our Spot the Scam quiz: 7 written as scams, 3 as genuine messages. In the current version it found warning signs in 7 of 7 scam examples and no signs in 3 of 3 genuine ones.

The signs found most often in the scam examples: pushes you to tap a link (2); asks for your password or login details (2); threatens your account (2); asks you to send money (2).

These are examples we wrote, so the results show the checker works as designed, not how often it catches real scams. You’re welcome to cite the warning-sign list with a link to this page.

Questions about the scam checker

Is it safe to paste a message here?

The checker runs entirely in your browser. What you paste isn’t sent to us or anyone else, isn’t saved, and isn’t added to the page address. You can still remove names, numbers and addresses first: the checker doesn’t need them.

Can the checker tell me a message is safe?

No. It looks for warning signs that are common in scams. A message with no signs can still be a scam, and a genuine message can contain a sign. If anything feels off, contact the person or company another way, such as through the official app.

Does it open the links in my message?

No. It only reads the link address as text. It checks for brand names on websites that aren’t the brand’s own, short links that hide where they go, number-only addresses and look-alike letters. It can’t see what’s on the page.

Which apps does it work for?

Any text message: Facebook Messenger, Marketplace chats, Instagram and WhatsApp messages, Facebook Dating, emails and SMS. The warning signs come mostly from Meta’s help pages and the US Federal Trade Commission, so they apply widely.

I already sent a code, password or money. What now?

Act quickly. If you shared a code or password, secure your account straight away (see hacked account recovery). If you sent money or card details, contact your bank or payment provider now, then report the scam to the platform and your national fraud service.

Where do the warning signs come from?

Each sign is based on official guidance we’ve read, listed with links in the table on this page. A few link checks are our own notes, and they’re labeled as ours.

Maintained by Michael Michael. See our editorial policy for how we research and check our guides and tools. Want to practice? Try the Spot the Scam quiz.