This week, my Mum messaged me asking if a message she’d received from a delivery service was real or not. Now, I’m lucky that she’s pretty savvy when it comes to spotting scams and knows what to look for. It’s just useful to have a son who’s the Security Editor for a leading tech website to check with.
But obviously, not everyone has that opportunity—and that’s where Malwarebytes’ new Scam Guard AI chat can save the day.
What Is Malwarebytes AI-Powered Scam Guard Chatbot?
Malwarebytes Scam Guard is a free AI chatbot integrated into Malwarebytes Mobile Security, the security company’s free smartphone app.
Download: Malwarebytes Mobile Security for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
Scam Guard basically does what it says on the tin. It’s designed to provide an instant response on whether what you’re reading or an email that’s landed in your inbox is a scam.
So, instead of having to figure out whether what you’re looking at is a scam that could pilfer your banking details, you can grab a screenshot or paste the suspicious content into Scam Guard, and it’ll immediately start figuring out what it is, and most importantly, give you tips on how to stay safe.
Now, Malwarebytes isn’t the first to market with an AI chatbot that can detect phishing emails and other online scams. Bitdefender launched a similar premium product in 2024, and folks have used ChatGPT and other AI chatbots for the same task since their inception. But Malwarebytes Scam Guard is different for a couple of reasons.
First, Malwarebytes Mobile Security is a full security app for your smartphone. It has a heap of other protections worth using, not least its malware detection. Second, while using ChatGPT and other AI chatbots to detect scams is useful, they don’t have the same extensive catalog of malware, scams, and phishing data as Malwarebytes.
Oh, and better still, it’s a free tool, which means you can install it on almost any device running Android or iOS.
How Good Is Scam Guard at Detecting Scams?
Before recommending that you go ahead and install Scam Guard on your loved ones’ smartphones and other devices, I took Scam Guard for a spin against a few different scam emails and text messages I’ve received recently, including the one sent by my mother. Overall, I’m convinced that Scam Guard knows its stuff and will help you quickly figure out if you’re about to be scammed or not.
1. Email Advising Me to Avoid Kegels
First up, an email with remarkable medical advice, which is usually a giant red flag. In this case, I was told to avoid kegels due to some revolutionary research discovered by a Ukrainian doctor (why the doctor’s nationality makes a difference, I don’t know!).
I provided an email that shows the core of the message. Scam Guard advised me to be skeptical, but also asked if I could show the email address and URL the email was trying to send me to.
Once provided, Scam Guard said that while this email address and URL aren’t in its scam database, it strongly advises ignoring the email as this is a classic scam format.
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2. You’ve Won an Unexpected Prize!
This one was much easier. I received an email claiming that I’d won some new Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Smart Glasses, which is remarkable, as I didn’t enter a competition.
Within a few seconds, Scam Guard confirmed that this is a phishing email, and I should avoid it at all costs.
3. A Suspicious Text Message From a Real Service
During the week, I received an email purporting to be from a real service, informing me that the request I’d made for a rewiring job was “almost complete.”
As I hadn’t made any such request, I figured this was a scam of some sort. However, figuring this out is made all the more difficult because the message included links to the real website, and the service is very much legitimately used for requests like this.
Scam Guard advised that this had some hallmarks of a scam, specifically referencing that the message came from a mobile number (and not a registered account), and that the URL in the message also looked suspicious.
4. A Fake Shipping Invoice Request
This is the message that was sent to my mother, requesting that she update her shipping information. It’s a standard scam format designed to steal your data, but it can be difficult to detect because it appears to link to a legit site.
What made this harder to figure out at a glance was that my Mum was waiting for two packages to arrive—exactly what the scam message claimed to need information on. Scammers rely on this confusion to steal your data, and unfortunately, it works a great deal of the time.
In this case, Scam Guard identified the fake email URL and found that it had nothing to do with the shipping service; this wasn’t actually that easy to do with a regular internet search. It confirmed our suspicions that this was a phishing email that just happened to get its timing right and sow some seeds of doubt. Indeed, I nearly fell for a well-timed Netflix phishing scam that just happened to land when my account was up for renewal and I’d had some trouble signing in.
5. Earn Heaps of Money Through TikTok
My final test was one of the most obvious scams in my inbox: earn up to £800 per day in my spare time! And wouldn’t you know it, the message was sent by TikTok’s HR Department!
Scam Guard unraveled this scam instantly, with a big old red flag and a message saying, “Don’t touch this at all.”
Malwarebytes Scam Guard Is the Easy Way to Protect Your Loved Ones From Scams
I have to say, I’m impressed with Malwarebytes Scam Guard. It’s simple to use, provides an almost instantaneous response, and offers a clear explanation behind its decisions. It’s also free to use, and as it works on Android and iOS devices, you can install it on basically any smartphone to spread some well-needed scam protection.
There are some small issues that you may have to work around, mind. For example, you’ll need to explain how to long-press on URLs and phone numbers to copy them over without opening them, or explain how to take a screenshot and then paste that into the Scam Guard. In that, it’s not completely automated. I’d hazard that taking a screenshot and posting it into Scam Guard is the best option, as it saves someone from accidentally interacting with a phishing URL, fake SMS, or other malicious content. However, this is a small step compared to what Scam Guard’s AI chatbot can do, which is help spot scams and deliver specific advice tailored to each situation.
Scam Guard might not stop your family and friends from falling victim to every scam, but I’m impressed enough that I’ll be installing it on my kids’, parents’, and grandparents’ smartphones.
