How it works
- 1Paste the warningCopy the whole forwarded message.
- 2Check on your own phoneThe signs are read inside this page.
- 3Read the signs and how to checkThen decide whether to forward it.
- 4What this check cannot doIt cannot tell if a claim is true. Read the limits.
Check a warning
Paste the forwarded warning
On a phone, press and hold the message, choose Copy, then press and hold in the box and choose Paste. The check reads the words here; it does not open any link.
Or try an example
The examples are written by UtilForge. The first is modelled on a chain message that fact-checkers rated false in 2026; the police department and web address in the second are made up.
What you paste stays on your device
The check runs on your own phone or computer, inside this page. The page’s security setting (a Content Security Policy, a rule the browser enforces) blocks it from connecting to any server after it has loaded, so what you paste stays on your device.
- No sign-up and no cookies.
- Press Clear or close the tab, and what you pasted is gone.
What the check looks for
Signs of a chain message
- No date, no named place, and no named official body or link to one.
- “Share with everyone”, “forward to all your groups” or “share at least once more”.
- Big round numbers, “100%”, and time claims such as “in 30 minutes”.
- Fear words such as “urgent”, “destroy” or “extremely frightening”, and guilt lines such as “don’t think it won’t happen to you”.
- Claims that touching a phone lets someone steal your fingerprints, face or voice.
- “A bank, shop or famous person is giving away…”.
- Unnamed authority (“experts say”, “police warn”), long stretches of capital letters and many exclamation marks.
Signs of an official alert
- A named official body, such as a named police service, government department, regulator or bank.
- A date, and a named place.
- A link to an official web address, such as one ending in .gov, .gov.uk or .police.uk, or a bank’s own website.
A worked example
Early in 2026 a message spread on WhatsApp and Facebook warning people to stop helping strangers with their phones, because touching the phone would let criminals copy their fingerprints, voice and face and “clone” them within 30 minutes. Africa Check rated it false on 18 February 2026, and Mimikama, the Austrian fact-checking organisation, rated its central claim false on 9 March 2026. Both explained that phones keep fingerprint and face data locked on the device, and that a copy of a fingerprint does not open a bank account without the phone itself. Both also noted what the message got right: artificial intelligence (AI) can imitate voices and faces, and it is wise never to read out a code or hand personal details to a stranger.
What this check cannot do
It cannot tell whether a claim is true. It only spots signs in the words you paste, and a message can carry every sign of an official alert and still be false, or carry the style of a chain message and still contain good advice. It does not visit links, search the internet or contact anyone. Always check with the source.
How UtilForge tested this tool
Before release, the check was run against the three built-in examples and a set of written test messages: chain messages modelled on warnings that fact-checkers have rated false, official-style alerts with a named body, date and official web address, mixed messages, very short pastes, messages with links and shortened links, and text with invisible characters. The page was checked at phone width with the network watched in the browser’s developer tools to confirm it makes no request while it checks. If you find a message it gets wrong, the buttons below open an email you can send.
Sources
- Africa Check, “No, helping strangers use their smartphones will not expose you to ‘AI biometric identity fraud’”, 18 February 2026
- Mimikama, “‘30 Minuten können Ihr Leben finanziell ruinieren’ – Stimmt diese WhatsApp-Warnung?” (“‘30 minutes can ruin your life financially’: is this WhatsApp warning true?”), in German, 9 March 2026, updated 28 March 2026
- Lead Stories, “Fact Check: No evidence uncle and dog are missing – it’s a scam post”, 4 May 2023 (on posts that are shared widely and then edited into something else)
This check is general information, not professional security advice.
Questions and answers
Is it wrong to forward a warning?
No. Forwarding a warning is usually an act of care. Checking it first means the people you send it to get the part that is true, without the part that is not.
Does this tool tell me if a warning is true?
No. It spots the signs that chain messages and official alerts tend to carry. Only the source, or a fact-checker who has checked with the source, can confirm whether a claim is true.
Can someone steal my fingerprints by touching my phone, or theirs?
Africa Check and Mimikama both rated this claim false in 2026. Phones keep fingerprint and face data locked on the device, and a copy of a fingerprint does not open a bank account without the phone. The sound advice in that message still stands: never read out a code, or hand your unlocked phone or personal details to a stranger.
What should I say to the person who sent it?
Thank them for looking out for you, then share what you found: a link to the fact-check or the official page. A kind reply in the same group helps everyone who saw the message.
Where do I report a scam message?
See where to report a scam, country by country. For a scam text, the scam text check shows what to do next.