How to check if a text message is genuineCheck the sender and any link through channels you trust; do not use the message’s own links

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

Short answer

Do not tap links or call numbers in the message. Contact the supposed sender using a number or app you already trust, check the sender and wording for pressure or odd requests, and look up the organisation’s official warnings. If you need a record, keep the original thread, not only a screenshot.

Checks before you act

Scam messages often claim urgency, a delivery problem, a bank alert or a family emergency. Slow down. Look up the organisation’s official website yourself, or use its app, to see whether the message matches. Be cautious with a message that asks for codes, passwords or payments, or that comes from an unknown number claiming to be someone you know.

Messages can appear in the same thread as genuine ones because sender names can be spoofed. If a voice or video call is involved, see verify a voice message and the scam voice red flags checker. If you suspect fraud, report it to your bank and the relevant authority in your country.

Keeping a record of a message

If a message may matter later, keep the original thread on the device, export it if the app allows, and capture screenshots with the sender and date visible. To fix the date of an exported file or screenshot, record it. A TimeBind records a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact file and a time, anchored to Bitcoin. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file is not uploaded.

A TimeBind does not show that a message was genuine or who sent it. See are screenshots legal evidence.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Frequently asked questions

Can sender names be faked in text messages?

Yes. Sender IDs can be spoofed in some cases, so a message can appear in a genuine thread. Verify through a trusted channel.

Should I reply to a suspicious message to check?

Generally no. Contact the organisation using a number or app you already trust instead.

How do I keep a message as evidence?

Keep the original thread, export it if possible, and capture screenshots showing the sender and dates.

Does a timestamp prove a message is real?

No. It shows an exact file existed by a time. It does not show the message was genuine or who sent it.

Sources

TimeBinder, Verify a voice message.
TimeBinder, Scam voice red flags checker.

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Record a fingerprint of the file you rely on

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

Open TimeBinder →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.