About ScamGuard
Your digital bodyguard against scams.
ScamGuard is a community-focused cybersecurity service that helps everyday people spot scams, phishing, fraud and social-engineering before they lose money or data.
Cybercrime cost South Africans billions last year — and most victims never get their money back. We make detection free, fast and human.
Why ScamGuard exists
Scams are everywhere
Parcel scams, SASSA fraud, OTP theft, fake invoices, romance fraud — they reach everyone through WhatsApp, SMS and email.
Detection is usually paid
Most anti-fraud tools are built for businesses. We built one that anyone can use, with a generous free plan.
Knowledge is power
Every report we gather and analyse helps warn the next person. The more we share, the harder it is for scammers.
Built by people, for people
A small, focused team turning cutting-edge detection into something anyone can use.
Always watching
Threat feeds update continuously, so the answer you get reflects the latest known scams.
Privacy by default
Your content is analysed on demand and never sold. Security tools work offline where possible.
How it works
Paste any suspicious message, email or link into the AI Scam Checker. Our engine does three things:
- AI analysis — language, urgency and social-engineering signals are reviewed by an AI model (OpenRouter).
- Pattern matching — your text is checked against a curated library of 13+ real scam patterns, offline and private.
- Live threat data — URLs and IPs are cross-checked against OpenPhish, URLhaus and AbuseIPDB blacklists.
You get a clear verdict, a confidence score, red flags, and exactly what to do next — usually in seconds.
Our data sources
🛡️ OpenPhish
An actively curated phishing feed that powers our community reports and link scans.
🔗 URLhaus
Real-time malware and phishing URL blacklists from abuse.ch.
🌐 AbuseIPDB
Reports of malicious IP addresses from a global network of reporters.
🔑 Have I Been Pwned
Over a billion breached passwords, so we can warn you the moment yours appears.
🤖 OpenRouter AI
Access to leading AI models for deep, nuanced message analysis.
👥 The community
Your scam reports help train and warn everyone else. Together we're stronger.
Our promise
- Privacy first — scans are analysed on demand; your message content is not sold or shared.
- Zero-install, no bloat — a simple, fast web app that runs anywhere.
- Guidance, not just warnings — every verdict comes with clear next steps and where to report.
- Always improving — new scam patterns and data sources are added continuously.
Have a question or spotted a scam we missed? Contact us.
Created & developed by
Thoke Silas Nchabeleng
Design, development and ongoing maintenance of ScamGuard.