Truecaller has launched the new family protection feature that allows one person to monitor potential scam calls received by relatives and intervene if necessary. The update lets a designated group admin receive alerts about suspected fraud calls affecting other members and remotely end the call if they believe it could be a scam.
“I think, unfortunately, all of us know somebody or another in our families or friends who have been impacted by fraud,” said Kunal Dua, chief product officer at Truecaller. “In that sense, it’s a fundamental shift for Truecaller in terms of what we’ve been focusing on as a problem.”
The feature was initially introduced in a limited number of markets late last year and is now rolling out globally, including in India, the company’s largest user base.
The idea reflects a growing reality around phone scams. Fraud calls increasingly target people who may not always recognise the warning signs, older family members, for example, or people who may trust callers claiming to represent banks, delivery services, or government agencies.
Ogbonda Chivumnovu
How the feature works
The system centres on creating a small family group inside the Truecaller app, where one person acts as the administrator responsible for monitoring scam alerts.
1. Create a family group
Open the Truecaller app and create a small group that includes family members or people you want to help protect from scam calls.
One person becomes the group administrator, who will receive alerts and manage protections for the group.
2. Invite family members to join
Send invitations to relatives through the app. Once they join the group, their devices become connected to the shared protection system.
This allows the admin to receive alerts when suspicious calls appear.
3. Receive alerts for suspected scam calls
When Truecaller’s system detects a potential fraud call on a member’s phone, the administrator receives an alert.
These alerts allow the admin to quickly check the call and decide whether it might be a scam.
4. Remotely end suspicious calls
If the administrator believes the call is fraudulent, they can remotely hang up the call from their own phone, stopping the conversation before the scammer can pressure the victim further.
5. Block scam numbers for the entire group
The administrator can also block specific numbers or entire international calling codes and share that blocklist with everyone in the group, preventing similar calls from reaching other members.
6. Understand the privacy limits
Truecaller says the system includes privacy protections.
The group admin cannot see normal call logs, messages, or personal conversations from other members. They only receive alerts when the app flags a call as suspicious.
Why the company is pushing this now
The feature arrives at a time when phone scams are growing both in scale and sophistication. In India alone, Truecaller says it detected more than 7.7 billion fraud calls last year.
Scammers have also begun using increasingly scripted tactics. One example is the so-called “digital arrest” scam, where callers impersonate police officers and pressure victims into transferring money or sharing personal information. To counter this, the company is exploring the use of artificial intelligence that could analyse calls and automatically disconnect them if certain scam-related phrases appear.
Emmanuel Umahi
