Common WhatsApp scams | Mobile Apps

Most common WhatsApp scams – How to avoid them

Millions of people use WhatsApp to communicate every day, but recently, users of  this essential app have been falling prey to scammers. The latest scams vary from promises of a weekly return on a specified donation to notification of the death of a family member who’s bequeathed their life savings to you.

Here’s how you can protect yourself from the latest WhatsApp message scams.

getting the message on WhatsApp: beware of fraudsters

You probably receive dozens, if not hundreds, of WhatsApp messages every day, and you’ll likely agree that the app makes your business and personal life much easier to manage. But what about the strange messages we all seem to get from unknown numbers from time to time?

  • Whenever you receive a WhatsApp message from a number you don’t know, the best thing to do is proceed with caution.
  • Unless you’re expecting a message from a new contact or a friend living overseas, you should verify the sender’s identity before responding to the message.
  • Make use of the convenient WhatsApp feature that lets you decide whether to block new contacts or accept their messages.

is someone  in trouble – or has their WhatsApp been hacked?

It’s easy enough to filter out fraudulent WhatsApp messages sent from strange numbers, but what about a message that seems to be from a friend or relative requesting financial help?

In situations like this, our first instinct is to help the person, but if their WhatsApp account has been hacked, the money you send them will go straight into the hands of criminals.

  • If you receive a message from a friend, relative or colleague requesting financial assistance because of an emergency, call them right away and verify that the message actually came from them.
  • This will put your mind at ease and will also alert them to the possibility that their WhatsApp account has been compromised.

if it sounds too good to be true, block the number

Lately, a common WhatsApp scam has been doing the rounds. It involves sending a congratulatory message to unsuspecting users telling them that they won a prize or lottery draw. This scam has a lot in common with email and phishing scams and while most of us wouldn’t reply to this type of message in an email, people are more likely to fall prey to these scams in a WhatsApp message.

If you receive a WhatsApp message bearing an offer or “good” news that’s just too good to be true, block the sender and count yourself lucky: you’ve just avoided having your smart phone hacked.

Other WhatsApp scams to be on the alert for are crypto and trading scams – usually from people you don’t know, promising you a great return on a new trading platform.

Store scams have been around for a while but a fake Woolworths or Takelot voucher, usually forwarded to you by someone you know who’s fallen prey to the scam, can dupe even the most cautious of us.

be alert for all scams and backup your data

Being alert is an essential part of life in South Africa, both for your personal wellbeing and your data security. Keeping your personal data safe is another essential part of a safe modern life. Our range of cloud storage solutions will help you keep your personal and business information safe and encrypted in the cloud.

WhatsApp Apps | App Security and Updates

The Low Down on WhatsAppening to WhatsApp Apps

Mobile apps have transformed the way we live our lives. From ordering online to keeping tabs on our health, from banking to gaming there’s an app for everything, and communication apps are a big part of the conversation. In fact, can you even remember how you conversed before the days of Skype, Slack, Facetime, Telegram, WhatsApp or WeChat?

However, with modern technology and mobile apps changing at virtually the speed of light, it’s important to remember that these innovations can come with an added cost to your security.

Take Facebook owned WhatsApp Messenger as an example.

Launched in 2009, this platform is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. Ever evolving, messaging apps such as WhatsApp are difficult to monitor and control making them a frequent target of hackers and scammers. We take a look at recent updates and developments to the platform and how these might affect your data security.

whatsApp updates

WhatsApp first announced its improved multi-device capabilities in July 2021. This meant that apps supporting the WhatsApp function would no longer require a smartphone connected to the internet in order to function properly.

This new capability offers app users the ability to use WhatsApp on an additional four non-phone devices, without being connected to the phone.

how secure are third-party WhatsApp apps?

To run an official WhatsApp version on a tablet currently you need to use the WhatsApp web platform, but users often download modified versions of the app such as GBWhatsApp and WhatsAppPlus.

These third-party apps go against the Terms of Service of the WhatsApp platform and aside from the security risks that users expose themselves to, they also stand the risk of having their WhatsApp account banned for using an unsupported version of the app.

coming soon to iPad

Facebook is in the process of giving WhatsApp a virtual facelift by creating an app suitable for tablets, adding this to their own virtual tool-belt of multi-device support capabilities.

The multi-device 2.0 will mean that you can use your iPad as a linked device without needing your smartphone to act as a hub for the link although you will still need to have a phone number. Currently, the app can be connected through portals, Windows and MacOS but these need to have a primary smartphone device connection.

While still under development, you can expect to see these changes in the very near future. In addition, the changes will mean that WhatsApp will work independently for iPad, and those with iOS will automatically have the iPad version once it is rolled out.

will whatsApp still be secure?

To keep users secure, WhatsApp has revamped its security measures. Each multi-device will have its own identity key mapped to the user’s account. As a result, messages are encrypted and not stored on servers once delivered.

In addition, using improved technologies will prevent compromised servers from snooping on communications if they add additional devices to the user’s account.

  • Extended security codes – unique identifiers so contacts can verify devices
  • Automatic device verification – devices automatically trust each other without reregistering
  • Biometric authentication for linking devices – fingerprint of facial recognition to link devices
  • Device list – a visible list of devices can be monitored for use and logged out of remotely.

is your data secure?

Sadly, the best security technology in the world often can’t protect you from your biggest security threat – your own end users.

Human error, whether it be malicious intent or naïveté isn’t always in your control but having an effective set of company security policies and an automatic data backup system means that you have a backup plan to access data in the event of a system failure or cyberattack. We ask you – whatsAppening with your security?