Ask Arthur is now on Chrome: detect scam ads and dodgy sellers on Facebook
Free Chrome extension that spots scam ads, scores Marketplace sellers, and catches PayID tricks in Messenger.
Australians lost more than A$2.18 billion to scams last year. That number has gone up every year since we started counting — and a huge chunk of it doesn't start where banks can see it. It starts on Facebook.
Marketplace scams. Deepfake celebrity ads flogging fake investments. PayID tricks in Messenger. Sponsored posts that lead to fake shops. By the time your bank flags something, the money's already gone — because the bank only sees the transaction, not the click that led there.
We built Ask Arthur to watch the place where scams actually begin. Today, the Chrome extension goes live. Free. No account.
The problem nobody's solving
You've seen the ads. Some bloke who looks like a famous Australian spruiking a crypto scheme. A Marketplace listing for a suspiciously cheap iPhone. A buyer in Messenger asking you to "verify your PayID" before they pay.
These scams don't start in your bank account. They start in your Facebook feed, your inbox, your group chats. The platforms aren't catching them at the source — Meta's ad-review system passes thousands of scam ads a day, Marketplace doesn't verify sellers, Messenger isn't watching for known PayID patterns.
Scamwatch's Targeting Scams program records investment scams alone costing Australians hundreds of millions of dollars a year, with social-media-originated scams the fastest-growing channel. Marketplace and PayID-flavoured frauds are growing inside that. The platforms aren't stopping them at the source — and that's the gap Ask Arthur was built for.
Nobody is watching the place where scams actually begin. Until now.
What the extension does
Seven things, in plain English. All of them happen quietly in your browser as you scroll.
- Check any website. Paste a URL and Ask Arthur tells you if the site is dodgy — fake shops, phishing pages, investment scams, the lot. Powered by sixteen Australian and international threat-intelligence feeds.
- Analyse suspicious messages. Got a weird email, SMS, or Messenger message? Paste the text and our AI breaks down exactly why it's suspicious — or gives you the all-clear in five seconds.
- Spot scam ads in your Facebook feed. When you scroll Facebook, Ask Arthur quietly checks every sponsored post. If it finds something suss, you'll see a warning banner right on the ad — before you click.
- Score Facebook Marketplace sellers. Thinking about buying from someone on Marketplace? Ask Arthur checks the seller's account age, ratings, and location to give you a trust score. New account with no history selling a $3,000 laptop? You'll know about it.
- Catch PayID scams in Messenger. If someone in Messenger starts pushing PayID scam patterns — asking you to "verify" your details, sending fake payment confirmations, requesting unusual transfers — Ask Arthur flags it in the chat.
- Scan your other Chrome extensions. Not sure if your other browser extensions are safe? Ask Arthur audits them for security risks, dodgy permissions, and known vulnerabilities. Graded A+ to F, plain English.
- Detect deepfake images (in progress). Those AI-generated celebrity endorsement ads? Ask Arthur is building detection for synthetic images so you can tell what's real and what's been fabricated to take your money.
How to install (30 seconds)
It's fast and free.
1. Visit the Ask Arthur listing on the Chrome Web Store. Or search "Ask Arthur" — we're the one with the friendly orange icon.
2. Click Add to Chrome. Then click Add extension in the popup.
3. Pin the icon. Click the puzzle-piece icon in your toolbar, find Ask Arthur, click the pin. Now it's one click away when you need it.
4. That's it. No account. No signup. No credit card.
How it protects you on Facebook
This is the part most users come for. Three layers, all in the browser, none of them touching your private messages.
Ask Arthur never reads your DMs or stores your conversations. Detection runs locally — in your browser, on your device — for everything except threat-feed lookups against public domain reputations. We don't sell data, we don't track which sites you visit, and we don't keep your browsing history.
Sponsored posts. When you scroll your feed, Ask Arthur checks every sponsored post against our threat-intelligence database and AI analysis. If something looks off — a fake domain, a too-good-to-be-true offer, a known scam pattern — you'll see a clear warning banner right on the ad.
Marketplace listings. When you open a listing, Ask Arthur looks at the seller's profile. How old is the account? Do they have ratings? Does their listed location match up? You'll see a trust badge (green, amber, or red) before you message them.
Messenger chats. If a buyer or seller starts using known PayID scam tactics — fake payment screenshots, requests to "verify" your bank details, pressure to move off-platform — Ask Arthur shows a warning in the chat window. It looks at patterns, not message content.
Privacy by design
Five rules we built around. None of them are negotiable.
- No account required. Just install and go.
- No data stored. We don't keep your messages, URLs, or browsing history.
- No tracking. We don't monitor what sites you visit.
- No selling data. Ever. The business model isn't your data; it's enterprise threat-intel licensing.
- Free to use. The core extension costs nothing for individuals.
Who it's for
Honestly? Everyone with a Facebook account. But three groups in particular.
If you've got parents or grandparents who use Facebook, install Ask Arthur on their computer next time you visit. It's the single most useful thing you can do to protect them — and it doesn't require them to learn anything new. Real-time scam detection runs quietly behind the feed they already scroll.
"Install it for Mum." Older Australians get hit hardest by Marketplace scams, deepfake investment ads, and PayID fraud — partly because they trust the platform's "sponsored" label, partly because the cleanup is harder when something goes wrong. Two minutes of your time installing this on their browser saves a fortnight of cleanup later.
Marketplace buyers and sellers. If you buy or sell on Facebook Marketplace regularly, the seller-trust scores and PayID-pattern detection are built directly for you.
Anyone getting suspicious messages. Weird email from your "bank"? Text message about a package you didn't order? Paste it into Ask Arthur and get a straight answer in seconds. No more "is this real?" hesitation.
What's next
The Chrome extension is the first surface — it's not the last.
- Community reporting — flag scams you find and protect other Australians automatically. Your report becomes everyone else's warning.
- More platforms — expanding beyond Facebook to other places scams live. Instagram and X are next.
- Mobile app — the same protection on your phone, where most Australians actually scroll.
- Push alerts — get notified about scam trends in your area before they reach your inbox.
If you want to be in the loop on what's coming, drop your email at askarthur.au. We don't spam.
If you've already lost money to a Facebook-originated scam, contact your bank's fraud line first, then report to Scamwatch on 1300 795 995. For identity-recovery support, IDCARE's free service is on 1800 595 160.
Ask Arthur is Australia's friendly scam-detection companion, built locally with Australian threat intelligence. For more guides and real-time alerts, visit askarthur.au — and grab the Chrome extension while you're there.
Related posts
Think you've received a scam?
Check it instantly — free, private, no signup.
Check now