NordVPN’s new tool helps you spot online scams — and it’s free for everyone

• NordVPN has rolled out a new free scam checker tool
• It detects if images or messages are fake in near real-time
• Everyone can use it without paying for a NordVPN subscription

Have you recently received a message or an image that looks completely genuine, but your gut tells you it's not safe to click on it? If so, you'll be pleased to know that NordVPN has just expanded its security offering with a new AI-powered scam detection tool that confirms if you are actually dealing with a phishing attempt or a fraudulent threat.

As part of its fight against cybercrime, the best VPN on the market according to TechRadar's reviewers has helpfully decided to offer the tool for free, making it accessible to anyone concerned about the risks of online scams.

Indeed, no subscription or account is required to use it, meaning that even your most vulnerable friends or elderly relatives — often the most frequent victims of scams — can stay safe without spending a penny.

How NordVPN's scam checker works

Scams and phishing attacks are growing too fast. AI now makes it significantly easier to create convincing impersonations of customers or employees, while also enabling cybercriminals to automate these attacks on a large scale.

"The days when a poorly written email was an obvious red flag are gone," notes Domininkas Virbickas, product director at NordVPN.

As new AI-based malware threats are capable of fooling even the most tech-savvy users, those who are less familiar with technology and therefore more vulnerable are particularly at risk.

Offering rescue, NordVPN’s scam checker analyses messages in text and images, searching for suspicious links, phone numbers, and email addresses to identify any signs of malicious intent.

Its embedded AI algorithm identifies patterns typically used in phishing scans and attempts, including intimidating tactics and fake urgent alerts that often prompt people to act impulsively with potential disastrous consequences.

We’ve tried it out and can vouch that it’s quite a piece of cake to use: you can simply paste a message or upload a screenshot into the designated field on the NordVPN page to receive a verdict in a matter of seconds.

The tool accepts plain text and screenshots in .jpg and .png formats, for a maximum of five email addresses, URLs, and phone numbers per request.

An anti-scam mission

The VPN giant has recently drawn attention to the extent of current online threats by sharing a survey by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance. It highlighted how consumers were defrauded of a staggering $442 billion last year alone, with more than half of adults reporting being victims of scams during that period.

Talking to TechRadar earlier in the year, NordVPN reiterated that protecting its users from online scams is indeed a top priority.

Signs of this commitment have already been evident: its Threat Protection Pro suite, while achieving top marks in various phishing tests, has kept growing in these first months of 2026.

Recent additions include a call protection feature to identify fraudulent calls before you even answer, and a Dark Web Monitor Pro feature that detects potential data breaches dating back several years.

The new free scam checker then comes as an additional bonus to all those who aren't yet NordVPN subscribers. Additionally, the tool further builds on NordVPN’s commitment to cyber threat awareness, as the VPN had already previously released a different free service that scans email's links for threats in real-time.

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