As scams continue to target users via messaging apps, Meta decided to jazz up the security of WhatsApp to make it easy for the users to dodge scams. According to a recent announcement, WhatsApp will now include a ‘Safety Overview’ as a potential anti-scam feature.
WhatsApp To Show Safety Overview To Warn Users Of Potential Risks
The tech giant behind WhatsApp – Meta (formerly, Facebook) has now revealed the details about a new privacy feature that might come in handy for users. Specifically, this feature involves showing a “safety overview” card to users when interacting with WhatsApp groups, as part of its anti-scam features.
As described in its post, WhatsApp users will see the alert card when someone not in their contacts list adds them to a new group. This alert will include anti-scam tips, reminding users about how to avoid potential risks during group conversations.
Specifically, these tips include common examples of scams users may encounter via WhatsApp, a shortcut to the privacy settings, letting users manage who can add them to a group, and more. Besides, this safety overview will also present two options to the users. The first is the “Exit group” button to help users exit the group immediately if they don’t recognize it. And the second includes a “See chat” button to let users view the group chat if they choose to inspect the group.
Regardless of their choice, Meta confirms that the group notifications will remain silent for the users until they explicitly confirm their stay in the group.
While these steps somewhat make it tedious to join a WhatsApp group, it certainly helps users to avoid being unintentionally added to unknown groups.
In addition to this feature, Meta also confirmed working on other options to help users avoid potential spam from unknown numbers on WhatsApp. As stated in the post,
We’re exploring ways to caution you when you start a chat with someone not in your contacts by showing you additional context about who you’re messaging so you can make an informed decision.
Stay Wary Of WhatsApp Scams
Meta has remained busy throughout the years in deploying anti-scam features to protect WhatsApp users. For instance, they introduced the “forwarded many times” tag on messages to warn users of viral content. Likewise, they rolled out security features to block unknown calls on WhatsApp and protect chats from physical intruders via the “Chat Lock” option.
However, given all its popularity, WhatsApp remains a lucrative means for scammers and threat actors to target users with malicious activities. From spreading malware to luring users into online scams leading to financial losses and/or identity theft, hackers today exploit WhatsApp to their best. However, Therefore, the users must apply safety tips to protect their WhatsApp chats.
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