Beware! WhatsApp being used by scammers to con you

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Beware! WhatsApp being used by scammers to con you
Beware! WhatsApp being used by scammers to con you

New Delhi : WhatsApp is one of the most popular social networking application in the world and with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic situation, the user data base of the social media platform has just increased by around 40 per cent.

A report has claimed that the hackers are trying to make the most of the situation and targeting the innocent users to con them.

WABetaInfo, the blog that tracks development in the app, in a tweet highlighted a new scam that is targeting users. “WhatsApp never asks your data or verification codes,” the website wrote in response to a query from a Twitter user Dario Navarro who asked if a message requesting the verification code had indeed been sent by WhatsApp.

Chronology of Incidents

Navarro received a message which appeared to be a Whatsapp account of its technical team. In the message, the hacker asked Navarro to verify his identity by providing the six-digit verification code that is sent to a user via an SMS when they register their WhatsApp accounts.

But the matter of fact is that WhatsApp never asks for your personal information or OTPs via a message. The company uses its blog and its official social media handles to relay messages as needed.


WhatsApp in its support page clearly notified its users that they must not provide any OTP or verification code to anyone.

It also says that a user gets a new verification code only when someone else is trying to take over their account if they have not prompted it themselves. 

“To keep your account safe, don't share your verification code with others...When you receive this notification, it means that someone has entered your phone number and requested the registration code. This often happens if another user mistyped your number when trying to enter their own number to register, and can also happen when someone attempts to take over your account,” WhatsApp says.

Stay alert and aware of the scams around you.