Against scam attempts: WhatsApp introduces new notification for group invitations
WhatsApp wants to make it more difficult for fraudsters. A confirmation window should provide you with important information about the group after a group invitation.
WhatsApp is apparently popular with scammers and spammers: they randomly invite accounts to groups in order to spread adverts or fraudulent offers. Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, wants to curb this with a new update.
You can now see important group information before joining
Meta will now ask for your confirmation before you can view the chat of a group. This should help you to assess the seriousness of the group. You can see whether the person inviting you is saved in your contacts and whether there are other people from your address book in the group. The founder and the date the group was founded are also listed. WhatsApp also provides links and information on how you can protect yourself against scams at this point.
You can then decide whether you want to view the chat or leave the group. Of course, you can also view the messages and then leave the group. However, this measure will prevent scammers from reaching as many people with their messages.
The blog entry does not reveal exactly when the update will be available, but the wording suggests that it is currently being rolled out.
Changes for chats with strangers are being tested
There will also be new features for direct messages via WhatsApp. According to Meta, the problem here is that many scammers first write to their victims on social media platforms, for example, and then entice them to continue the conversation on WhatsApp. Meta also wants to intervene here and is working on ways to provide you with further context about your chat partner before you write. Exactly what this will look like remains to be seen.
Meta emphasises that, with or without contextual information, it is important to take a deep breath before interacting with strangers. You should ask yourself who is behind it, how trustworthy the person is and whether what they are telling you is true. This is particularly important if, for example, they are offering you investment opportunities without risk or if they claim to know you. In this case, you should first check whether it really is this person.
How scammers use WhatsApp
The company states in the blog post that «Scam Centres» from South East Asia are often behind scam attempts. These are therefore organised campaigns. In the first half of the year, Meta reportedly banned almost seven million accounts that could be assigned to scam centres.
Scammers often use various platforms and messaging apps. According to Meta, scams can start on dating platforms or Instagram, for example. The scammer is keen to continue the conversation on other platforms afterwards so that none of them know the entire history. This makes fraudulent chats more difficult to recognise.
Generative AI in particular makes it increasingly difficult to recognise fraudulent attempts. You should therefore always be on your guard.
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