WhatsApp is a handy messaging tool that allows people to connect quickly and safely thanks to its end-to-end encryption.
However, while your messages themselves are safe, there's nothing stopping fraudsters from attempting to contact you to try and steal money.
It is vital to remain vigilant as to who's contacting you and to set your profile to private as hackers may use your picture to tailor fraud attempts. For example, if a fraudster can see that a woman is using an account, they may opt for a 'hi mum' scam, writes the Express.
To make your profile private, tap Settings > Account > Privacy > Profile Picture > then change to My contacts. Once this is done, only the people you know will be able to see the photo.
Here are two common scams to watch out for.
The 'hi mum' scam
This ‘friend in need’ scam sees the hacker pretend to be a close family member and then asks for money to be transferred due to their phone and wallet being lost or stolen.
Action Fraud recently confirmed that more than 1,200 people handed over a total of £1.5 million to cyber thieves in 2022 alone via this attack.
Six-digit code text
This threat arrives with a message that states a friend has lost their phone and needs a code to be sent to a new number to get things back up and running.
However, the code is actually to get access to your account and once the hacker activates it you will be locked out of your chats and they will have full access to your contacts.
This can then be used to scam more people and try to steal money.
Experts at the text giant remind users to always verify an account if something seems to be off by reaching out to the person.
"WhatsApp protects your personal messages with end-to-end encryption, but we can all play a role in keeping our accounts safe by remaining vigilant to the threat of scammers," a WhatsApp spokesperson said.
"If you receive a suspicious message (even if you think you know who it’s from), calling or requesting a voice note is the fastest and simplest way to check someone is who they say they are.
"If you get a message from someone who isn't in your contacts, we give you the option to block or report them straight away."
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