WhatsApp’s new feature to combat message scams from unknown senders
WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will surely be useful for every user of the app. Soon, you will be able to automatically block messages from unknown senders. This is a great solution that will help prevent phishing attacks.
4:17 PM EDT, August 19, 2024
WhatsApp is present on many people's phones, making it equally popular among scammers for carrying out attacks. One of the more common scams involves impersonating fake buyers of products listed on classified advertisement sites. The scammer pretends to have decided on a purchase and claims to have transferred the money, instructing the seller to click a link and fill out a form to "receive" it. This, of course, is a scam that leads to data theft. The attack begins with a message from an unknown number on WhatsApp, which is crucial.
Similarly, long, fabricated job offer announcements are sent through messaging apps to lure users to fake websites. It turns out that such attacks can soon be automatically avoided. In WhatsApp settings, there will be an option to reject messages from unknown senders (i.e., those not saved in the address book) if their length exceeds a specific limit. Details are unknown, but this is likely intentional to avoid aiding scammers.
As reported by WABetaInfo, the new option is currently being tested in WhatsApp 2.24.17.24 Beta on Android and is not available to everyone. It will likely take at least a few more days or weeks before the feature appears on regular users' smartphones in a stable release.
Beware on WhatsApp
The phishing attacks mentioned are just some of the methods attackers use to exploit the app to obtain valuable data. Users must also know that WhatsApp accounts can be taken over through call-forwarding manipulation.
The scam begins by convincing the victim to enter a series of characters (MMI code) on their phone, activating unconditional call forwarding to the attacker's number. This way, the attacker gains access to calls and text messages received by the victim. When the attacker knows the victim's phone number, they can attempt to log into WhatsApp on a new device, and the authentication code sent by the app will be forwarded to their phone number. As a result, they will take over the WhatsApp account within a few moments.
The subsequent steps involve activating WhatsApp on the attacker's phone, allowing them to read new messages and impersonate the victim. To avoid such scams, users should be wary of any requests to enter mysterious codes on their phones and carefully check if those actions aim for manipulation.
