I built a small AI tool that checks if a text or email is a scam
Reason I built this: family group chats keep getting the same kind of message. "Is this real?" with a screenshot of some sketchy text. Fake USPS fee, IRS arrest threat, "wrong number" that pivots to a crypto pitch a few replies later. Same thing every week.
The people getting these are usually the ones least equipped to spot them, and the kids/grandkids they ping aren't always around in time.
So, small open-source web app for it. Paste the message or upload a screenshot, get a green/yellow/red verdict in plain English. Built so someone in their 70s can use it, not security people.
A few things worth mentioning. It's fully client-side, no backend, no telemetry. The message goes from your browser straight to Anthropic. There isn't a server I could peek at if I wanted to.
It's BYOK, so you plug in your own Anthropic API key (free to start). About a tenth of a cent per scan. I'm never monetizing this.
The scam pattern library is just JSON files in /scam-patterns/. If you've seen something in the wild that's not covered, PR a new file and everyone's version gets better. No retraining.
Built over a weekend with Claude Code after writing a proper spec. Stack is Vite, React, TypeScript, Tailwind. MIT.
Repo: https://github.com/srivatp2-code/scam-shield
Being honest about the limits, Claude can be wrong on both sides. It'll occasionally call a legit message suspicious, and it'll miss novel scams. It's a second opinion, not gospel. Always confirm with the real sender through a channel you trust.
What scam types am I missing in the starter library? Genuinely interested in adding the ones people have seen recently.