WhatsApp’s popularity also means it’s a preferred platform for spammers and malware. Sometimes just knowing how to use WhatsApp is not enough to recognize and deal with these messages.
Spam messages on WhatsApp contain malicious content that is used to get your personal information via smartphone. WhatsApp spam comes in all shapes and sizes: from online scams to online scams, to false advertising.
Learn how to identify WhatsApp spam and take precautions to protect your online privacy when using the app.
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How to identify spam on WhatsApp
The first step in dealing with WhatsApp spam is to identify it among other messages you receive on the app. Here are some of the most common types of spam messages on WhatsApp and how to detect them.
Grammar & spelling mistakes
This may seem a bit important, but spam messages often contain grammar and spelling errors. Using too many emojis will also let you know the message is spam.
In addition, there are some words and phrases that senders use that can be a deadly gift of spam. They include a sender claiming to be part of a WhatsApp group, asking you to contact them about an unclear issue with your WhatsApp account, or congratulating you on receiving some kind of gift from WhatsApp.
One thing all these WhatsApp spam messages have in common is the request to reply or forward the message. By paying attention to the wording used in the text, you can avoid being scammed and spammed on WhatsApp.
Messages with suspicious links
You already know that opening a message from an unknown sender that contains a link is not a good idea. The majority of spam messages on WhatsApp are messages with malicious links used to obtain your login details, financial information and other valuable personal data.
In this case, the sender must do one of two things – ask you to forward the message to continue spreading the malicious links, or ask you to open a link from the message. Be aware that scammers can use different approaches to conceal their intentions. For example, asking you to follow a link that is supposed to install the latest WhatsApp update. This could lead you to a fake website that will try to steal your login credentials or some other personal information again.
Messages forwarded
On WhatsApp, you can forward messages from one user to another. You can do that by tapping on a message and selecting the forwarding icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
When you forward a message five or more times, WhatsApp will add a double arrow icon to it instead of a single arrow icon to indicate that this is a frequently forwarded message. Those are the messages that you should be wary of. They could be spam.
False advertising
Another form of spam found on WhatsApp is false advertisements. Usually, they will contain a promise of receiving some kind of reward or trying out a new WhatsApp feature. The purpose of these misleading messages is to drive web traffic to earn more money from advertising.
If it’s a message promising new WhatsApp features, rewards or updates, it’s best to check the official WhatsApp website before giving the scammers what they want.
Request to verify your identityy
Enabling two-factor authentication is a secure way to protect your online accounts. It is a recommended security measure for all your online accounts that contain sensitive data. That’s what makes WhatsApp spam messages trying to verify your identity so dangerous.
With the fake intent of using WhatsApp for two-factor authentication of one of your online accounts, the scammers try to get your credentials. You should know that you will never receive real two-factor authentication messages through WhatsApp but you will receive them as a simple SMS code.
What to do about WhatsApp Spam
Fight spam on WhatsApp by staying up to date with legitimate app changes and updates. If you receive a suspicious message about WhatsApp development, check it on the official WhatsApp website or even send a message to WhatsApp Support to make sure it is legit.
If you don’t want to deal with spam messages, you can also adjust your account’s privacy settings to control your interactions on WhatsApp. To do that, follow the steps below.
- Open WhatsApp and go to the WhatsApp menu via the three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Option Setting.
- From the Settings menu, select Account.
- Option Privacy to change who can see your personal information.
From there, you can set your privacy settings so that your personal information is visible to Everybody (information available to all WhatsApp users), My Contacts (information available only to contacts from your address book), or Nobody (you are the only one who can see your information).
How to report and block spam on WhatsApp
When you receive a message from an unknown number that you consider spam, you can report this contact to WhatsApp. To report a contact on WhatsApp, follow the steps below.
- Open a WhatsApp chat with the contact you want to report.
- Open the chat menu via the three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Option Than.
- Option Report. You can also choose to block contacts and delete chat messages in the same menu.
If the contact is not in your WhatsApp contact list, you will also get a box with options to Report, Unitor Add to contact at the bottom of your WhatsApp chat.
You can also contact the Support Team and report spam. Open the app and follow the link Setting > Help > Contact us.
Fill out the form and provide as much information about WhatsApp spam messages as possible.
Time to give up WhatsApp?
Receiving a lot of spam can be frustrating. If you keep WhatsApp up to date, make all your information private, and continue to receive tons of WhatsApp spam messages, it might be time to switch to a more secure messaging app.
Do you receive spam messages on WhatsApp? What method do you use to identify and block WhatsApp spam? Share your experience with spam messages on WhatsApp in the comments section below.
