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Whoscall empowers Filipinos to actively participate in the fight against scams

These days, with the ubiquity of smartphones and the prevalence of malicious mobile phone numbers, it is becoming easier for cybercriminals to target people and acquire new victims. In an article published in February, the Philippine National Police reported that online scam cases topped the list of cybercrimes in 2023, at 14,030. In addition, Filipinos lost at least P155.2 million because of scams in the first eight months of 2023. Because of the immensity of the crisis, the fight against scams has become everyone’s responsibility. Thankfully, apps, like Whoscall, are here to help us in this fight. Recently, I tried it to explore its features and find out how it can protect us from scams.

Available for free download on both Android and iOS devices, I easily installed Whoscall on my Android smartphone, occupying only a small storage space (116MB). Once installed, the app quickly scans the phone’s call log history as far as a month ago and identifies mobile phone numbers. In the Call Log section, the most noticeable numbers are the ones identified as potential spam numbers and those flagged with a red exclamation point as fraud, spam, and harassment. 

Tapping these numbers on Whoscall shows why they are flagged, such as being reported by the community, frequently blocked, or reported by other Whoscall users. This shows Whoscall’s capability as a crowdsourcing platform for identifying mobile phone numbers used or potentially used in spamming, phishing, and other malicious activities. Whoscall has buttons that allow users to block and report these numbers for increased public awareness. Reports can help authorities become more informed about scam activities and implement a more effective law enforcement strategy.

In the SMS section of Whoscall, the app also scans all text messages and identifies potential malicious numbers, which are flagged with a red exclamation point. Tap and hold a text message to open the menu to check the number’s detail page and block or report the number. Whoscall also has a Protection section wherein you can check whether a web link is malicious or safe through the URL Scanner and check websites that might have leaked your number through ID Security. 

The Protection section also shows the number of dangerous and spam mobile phone numbers identified by Whoscall. The section also allows you to manually update the number database on your phone for personal protection. An automatic number database update is available when you upgrade to the Premium Plan. Go to the Premium section of the app to choose from any of the three, affordable paid Whoscall plans: monthly (P95/month), half yearly (P95.83/month), and yearly (P79.08/month). Apart from automatic database updates, the upgraded Whoscall version also gives you an ad-free user interface, automatic spam call blocker, and automatic SMS scan. Add a layer of protection against these malicious numbers and prevent becoming a victim of scams by installing Whoscall on your phone today.

Gogolook officially launched Whoscall in the Philippines last year. Whoscall, a leading call identification and spam-blocking app, aims to provide a solution to fight scams. Whoscall Philippines is the technology partner of Scam Watch Pilipinas, the national citizen arm of the Philippine government to educate Filipinos against cyber fraud.