Truecaller now lets users protect households from scam calls | TechCrunch

Truecaller has launched a household-level scam protection feature as the Swedish company broadens its role beyond caller ID in response to the rising number fraud attempts that target multiple members of a home.

The new feature, called Family Protection, lets up to five people join a family group overseen by one member who acts as the administrator and manages scam-blocking settings for the others. Family Protection is initially rolling out as a pilot for Android and iOS users in Sweden, Chile, Malaysia, and Kenya.

Truecaller said the feature is designed so that the more digitally confident person in a household can handle scam controls on behalf of less tech-savvy family members.

On Android, the family administrator can receive alerts during suspected scam calls, view basic device status including battery level, and remotely end calls flagged as fraudulent, the company said.

Scam activity has been rising worldwide as more people come online. That activity has exploded in markets where first-time smartphone users and older adults are more exposed to fraud. Countries including India have reported sharp increases in impersonation attempts and multi-step schemes that exploit gaps in digital familiarity. Truecaller plans to address this with its new feature, which will expand into additional key regions, including India, in the first quarter of 2026.

Truecaller CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala told TechCrunch the company has seen scammers shift from targeting individuals to entire households, with schemes unfolding through a sequence of calls, messages, missed-call triggers, and impersonation attempts directed at multiple family members to find a vulnerable entry point. The trend prompted the launch of the multi-user protection system, he said.

Family Protection is available as a free feature to users. However, if the family administrator upgrades to a Premium Family plan, all members get an ad-free experience along with stronger spam defense and automatic rejection of high-risk calls, the company stated.

With a user base of more than 450 million worldwide, Truecaller detects about 63 million scam attempts a day, allowing it to track shifts in fraud schemes in real time. The company says its community also reports around 166 million spam calls daily, creating one of the largest datasets of phone-based fraud activity globally.

However, Truecaller faces new competition in India, its largest market, as the government there starts trials of a Caller Name Presentation system that will display the name registered with telecom providers on incoming calls. Truecaller has been adding features that go beyond caller ID, including Family Protection, as it adapts to regulatory and market changes in India and other key markets.

“With Family Protection, one person’s vigilance now strengthens safety for up to five family members,” said Jhunjhunwala, adding that the company aims to extend protection without requiring additional effort from users.