WhatsApp announced new security measures to protect users from being added to unfamiliar group chats, a growing tactic used by scammers to flood users with spam or fraudulent schemes. In an official blog post on Tuesday, the company detailed an expansion of tools previously applied to messages from unknown numbers, now addressing group invitations.
When added to a group by someone not in a user’s contact list, a new alert screen will display the group’s name, the person who added them and a reminder that the inviter is a stranger. “The reality is, these are often scammers trying to prey on people’s kindness, trust and willingness to help – or, their fears that they could be in trouble if they don’t send money fast,” WhatsApp said.
The alert allows users to exit the group without reading messages, mute notifications by default until opting to stay or view messages without revealing their activity unless they respond or save the contact. This prevents unknown senders from knowing if their messages were read, enhancing user privacy.
In recent years, scammers have increasingly exploited WhatsApp groups to create seemingly trustworthy environments, bombarding users with marketing pitches or urgent messages to provoke action through pressure or curiosity.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
These scams range from cryptocurrency investment schemes and fake lotteries to urgent donation pleas, with fraudsters sometimes posing as banks, delivery services or even relatives to gain trust.
WhatsApp noted that many such scams are orchestrated by organized networks operating across multiple messaging platforms and countries, leveraging instant messaging to apply psychological pressure, such as claiming time-sensitive investment opportunities.
To counter this, the new alert screen includes safety tips: pause before responding, avoid clicking suspicious links, verify the sender’s identity through profile details like name, photo or country code, and block or report suspicious numbers.
“In the first six months of this year, as part of our ongoing proactive work to protect people from scams, WhatsApp detected and banned over 6.8 million accounts linked to scam centers,” WhatsApp explained.
The feature is available on Android and iOS and will roll out to all users in the coming days. WhatsApp advises users to ensure their app is updated to the latest version via Google Play or the Apple App Store to access these protections.