How to turn ChatGPT into a scam detector using the new Malwarebytes integration – for free

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Malwarebytes in ChatGPT helps you check links, emails, and numbers fast.
• The integration adds real-time scam and phishing context inside your chat.
• Scan suspicious content and report scams without leaving ChatGPT.

Have you ever looked at a link, phone number, text, or email you received, or even a search result, and wondered if it was actually legit? I know I have, because scammers are constantly finding new ways to get to you, your money, and your data.

Also: Scammers are poisoning AI search results to steer you straight into their traps - here's how

The good news is that solutions are starting to show up in the AI chatbots you use every day. For example, Malwarebytes is now available inside ChatGPT, bringing real-time threat intelligence to your AI conversations.

With Malwarebytes in ChatGPT, you can check suspicious links, emails, phone numbers, and messages -- all in a chat. This integration pulls from Malwarebytes' database, which has decades of cybersecurity data on phishing scams, malware, and malicious domains, to give you a layer of protection and more context about potential bad actors and their tactics.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET's parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

How to use Malwarebytes in ChatGPT

What you'll need: You only need ChatGPT. The Malwarebytes integration is currently rolling out to ChatGPT Free, Plus, Team, and Enterprise users wherever apps are supported. You don't need to create a Malwarebytes account or pay for a subscription.

1. Connect Malwarebytes in ChatGPT apps

Before you can use Malwarebytes in a conversation, you'll need to enable it through ChatGPT's app integrations.

1. Open ChatGPT.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Select Apps.
4. Search for Malwarebytes.
5. Connect it to enable the integration. You won't be prompted to create a Malwarebytes account.
6. From the Malwarebytes app page, you can then select Start Chat once it's connected.

Also: Is ChatGPT Plus still worth your $20? I compared it to the Free, Go, and Pro plans - here's my advice

You only need to connect Malwarebytes the first time you use it. After that, it'll always be available to invoke or select.

2. Ask Malwarebytes to check if something is a scam

The simplest way to try Malwarebytes is to ask it to check anything setting off alarm bells in your mind.

According to Malwarebytes, you can use it to verify "links, domains, emails, and phone numbers before you click, call, or reply." You'll get "instant reputation insights, ownership details, and risk levels" for unknown numbers, suspicious emails, shortened URLs, and unfamiliar links inside ChatGPT.

1. Open a new ChatGPT conversation.
2. Type something like, "Malwarebytes, is this a scam?" You should see the Malwarebytes integration load in the prompt field. If it doesn't, click the + icon and select the app from the drop-down menu.
3. Next, paste a suspicious message or SMS containing an unknown phone number, email address, or URL. You can also upload a screenshot if you don't want to copy and paste.
4. Malwarebytes will scan the details and provide information about the sender, any available threat intelligence, and quick options to report it or review common warning signs. It will also tell you if it appears to be a scam and flag tactics like urgency, fake links, impersonation, or credential harvesting.

To test it out, I uploaded a screenshot of a text I received a few months ago about a potential job.

Also: Scam texts net over $1 billion for cyber gangs - how to avoid their traps

Malwarebytes warned that the message was almost certainly a fraudulent job-text scam. While both the phone number and email address had "unknown" reputation data in Malwarebytes' database, it still advised me not to respond, to block and report the sender, and to verify any opportunities only through official company channels.

3. Check a suspicious link or domain before you click

Another useful feature is link risk assessment. Instead of clicking first and regretting later, you can run a URL check through Malwarebytes in ChatGPT. It's handy for fake pages, login clones, or shady sites.

1. Copy the suspicious link or domain name (be careful not to open it).
2. Ask ChatGPT something like: "Malwarebytes, is this website safe?" or "Malwarebytes, can you verify this domain?"
3. Paste the URL.
4. Malwarebytes will check for indicators of compromise, malware hosting, or known scam behavior, and tell you whether any threat intelligence is available for the link.

I went through my email spam folder and found a suspicious message that looked like it was from Spotify, claiming my payment couldn't be processed and urging me to click a link to update my billing information. Instead of clicking it, I copied the URL and pasted it into ChatGPT to see if it was safe.

Also: Clicked on a phishing link? 7 steps to take immediately to protect your accounts

Malwarebytes flagged the link as very likely a phishing scam, pointing to the mismatched domain and an unreachable URL. It advised me not to click it, to verify my account only through Spotify's official site, and to contact my bank immediately if I had entered any payment details.

In another test, I pasted Spotify's official website URL and said I'd received it in an email. Malwarebytes confirmed it was Spotify's legitimate domain, correctly spelled, secured with HTTPS, and not a common phishing lookalike. But it still advised me to log in by going directly to Spotify's site, and not through links in emails.

4. Report suspicious content back to Malwarebytes

One interesting part of this integration is that it isn't just one-way. You can report suspicious scams to Malwarebytes directly through ChatGPT, helping strengthen its threat intelligence database and improve future assessments.

1. After getting a verdict, look for the "Report as suspicious" button and click it.
2. You can report texts, messages, phone numbers, emails, URLs, and other shady content you've asked Malwarebytes to evaluate.

Also: Malwarebytes review: Solid, free protection with a user-friendly interface

Once submitted, you'll see a Reported confirmation with a check mark on the assessment.

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