> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.z-api.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Anti-Scam Protection in Announcement Groups
> Anti-scam protection in announcement groups automatically deletes, for everyone, messages sent by scammers (participants who are not admins) in your community announcement groups — groups where only admins can send messages. When the protection deletes a message, you receive an alert on your webhook with the sender's data, so you can decide what to do with the sender (for example, removing them from the group).
* Configurable per instance and comes disabled by default.
* For it to work, the instance needs to be an admin of the group.
## 1. Enable / disable via API (new endpoint)
In Anti-Scam Protection for Announcement Groups, the feature can also be enabled or disabled via API using the dedicated configuration endpoint.
For more details on how to use the endpoint, refer to the documentation below.
🔗 [https://developer.z-api.io/instance/update-announcement-guard](https://developer.z-api.io/instance/update-announcement-guard)
## 2. Check the current state (existing /me endpoint)
After configuring the Anti-Scam Protection, you can check the current state of the feature directly via the API. This lookup lets you verify the settings applied to the instance and confirm whether the protection is properly enabled.
```
GET https://api.z-api.io/instances/{instanceId}/token/{token}/me
```
The response now includes the new field:
```json theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"poimandres"}}
{
"announcementGuard": true
}
```
The field returns TRUE when the feature is active and FALSE when it is disabled.
## 3. Enable via dashboard
In the instance dashboard, under the "Announcement group security" section, the "Anti-scam protection in announcement groups" option is available.
Turning this switch on or off has the same effect as using the endpoint described above, letting you manage the feature directly from the dashboard. After making the change, just use the screen's standard save button to apply the new setting.
## 4. What you receive when the protection acts (webhook)
When the Anti-Scam Protection removes a message identified as a scam attempt, an event is sent as usual through the receiving webhook (**ReceivedCallback**), using the existing "message revoked/deleted" event.
To identify that the message was removed specifically by the protection, just check the **notificationParameters** field present in the webhook payload.
How to identify it:
* notificationParameters: **\["ANNOUNCEMENT\_GUARD"]** → the scammer's message was successfully deleted by the protection.
* notificationParameters: **\["ANNOUNCEMENT\_GUARD\_FAILED", "\[REASON]"]** → the protection attempted to delete it but failed (the message may still be visible). Possible reasons:
| Reason | Meaning |
| :------------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `TIMEOUT_EXCEEDED` | Time ran out while trying to delete the message. |
| `MISSING_GROUP_PERMISSION` | The instance is not an admin of the group or lacks permission to delete messages. |
| `GROUP_SUSPENDED` | The group is suspended. |
| `SOMETHING_WENT_WRONG` | A generic failure occurred during the removal attempt. |
## Webhook return
### Return attributes
All returns from this webhook have the following attributes:
Indicates the type of notification received. For deleted messages, the value will be `"REVOKE"`.
Identifies that the message removal was performed by the Anti-Scam Protection.
Identifies the group where the message removal occurred.
Name of the group where the removal occurred.
Identifier of the message that was deleted.
Phone number of the author of the removed message.
LID identifier of the message's author.
Name of the message's author, when available.
Indicates whether the message belonged to the instance itself. In this case, the value will be false.
Indicates that the action was performed by the platform. In this case, the value will be true.
Example payload:
```json theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"poimandres"}}
{
"isGroup": true,
"instanceId": "YOUR_INSTANCE_ID",
"messageId": "3EB0...",
"phone": "120363XXXXXXXXXXX-group",
"connectedPhone": "5544XXXXXXXXX",
"fromMe": false,
"fromApi": true,
"momment": 199999999,
"status": "RECEIVED",
"chatName": "Announcement Group Name",
"senderName": "Author's Name",
"participantPhone": "5544XXXXXXXXX",
"participantLid": "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX@lid",
"type": "ReceivedCallback",
"notification": "REVOKE",
"notificationParameters": ["ANNOUNCEMENT_GUARD"]
}
```
## 5. What to do with the event
Using the participantPhone (or participantLid) received in the event, you can call the group participant removal endpoint, already available in the API, to remove the message's author.
The Anti-Scam Protection does not remove the participant automatically. The decision to remove the author or not is up to you, allowing you to define your application's behavior according to your needs.
## 6. Notes
* The protection only acts while the instance is connected and has admin privileges in the group.
* The feature applies exclusively to community announcement groups, where only admins can send messages. It does not act in regular groups or individual chats.
* Messages sent by admins are not affected by the protection.
* Each message is processed individually. Therefore, each revocation generates its own webhook event. If the same author sends multiple messages, each message will be revoked and will generate a new event.
* The message's author is not automatically removed from the group. As long as they remain in the group, they can send new messages. Each new attempt identified by the protection will be handled individually, generating a new revocation and a new webhook event.
***