The phone rang. There is a sense of dread. Friend or foe? Scam or not? NordVPN – best known for encrypting internet traffic and hiding IP addresses – has launched an Android app called HangUp that scans incoming calls for potential scammers and telemarketers. The app is free for everyone. You do not need a paid NordVPN account.
HangUp uses call protection technology from Hiya, which has its own mobile app to block spam and fraud calls and detect AI deepfakes. HangUp can also scan incoming text messages by integrating NordVPN’s Message Protection, which the company introduced in June. Customers of the HangUp app can choose to only use call screening if they wish.
Call flagging may be the newest VPN feature that CNET sees as the fastest, but scam checks are already available through many cell phone service providers and the devices themselves. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, iPhones, Google Pixel and Samsung phones can identify and block unwanted calls, as can major landline services.
HangUp is currently only available for Android and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. After downloading the app, you’ll need to sign in with your NordVPN account or create a free one on its website. Finally, you will need to give permission to the app to identify the identity of the caller and spam.
NordVPN premium customers already have call and message protection built into the app.
It’s a global problem
Scam calls aren’t just annoying – they swindle people out of billions of dollars a year. It’s a long way from the beginning of telemarketing in 1957.
About 80% of Americans have received at least one scam call in the past year, and 40% report feeling unsafe because of scam calls, according to NordVPN research. A Hiya study found that Americans receive 10 spam calls a week and that 30 million people lost money — on average $682 each — to scam calls last year.
See also: Scam calls are out of control. This One Strategy Really Helps
The NordVPN survey said the most common scam in the US is fake telemarketers or agents (43%), followed by fake healthcare providers (20%) and private government or tax officials (18%).
“What these numbers show is a serious concern about not being able to trust the phone,” NordVPN Product Director Domininkas Virbickas said in a statement.
How HangUp works
When a call comes in, HangUp checks the number and warns you if it might be a scam, spam or telemarketing attempt before you answer the call. The app is able to do this by using the driver reputation data that Hiya uses for its service.
You can’t block individual phone numbers through the app, but instead, you can block categories — for example if you want to stop all calls categorized as telemarketers.
You can also use HangUp to scan incoming text messages. The app claims to be able to detect scams, fraud, malicious messages and deceptive content. The app says it “may analyze message content, including links, sender information, and other relevant signals, to assess potential vulnerabilities.”
If you’re worried that this is another way to get your data, NordVPN says it won’t record or listen to phone calls, and it won’t store any text message content.
NordVPN has another disclaimer about HangUp. It says the app is only an “informational assistance tool” and cannot guarantee that it will be able to identify and block all unwanted calls. HangUp users cannot “rely solely” on the app and are “solely responsible” for the calls and texts they receive.
So make sure you know the warning signs of scam calls and the steps you can take. The Federal Communications Commission lists them, including not answering calls from numbers you don’t know and hanging up immediately if someone asks for money or personal information.
