Fake WhatsApp accounts have popped up in guise of the genuine WhatsApp Support. The purpose is to steal data like personal information and other details. This may lead to financial fraud as well. Cyberfrauds pretending to be WhatsApp Support send a prompt message and people generally could not figure out if it is genuine or fake and thus end up sharing valuable information with them.Â
If you encounter such messages do check the authenticity of the sender before revealing yourself and your data. If you find suspicious immediately report the user and block it.
These cybrecriminals set WhatsApp logo into their profile picture with the verified tick so it becomes difficult for the common users to differentiate the fake with genuine one. Here we tell you how to verify whether the WhatsApp Support is real or fake.
“When you are chatting with a verified contact, there is a verified badge placed next to the contact name in the conversation screen and their chat info. If you see the verified badge located in a different place, for example, on the profile photo, it means the contact pretends to be verified, but it is trying to fool you,” points WABetaInfo.
He adds, “These contacts want to get some private information from you, for example, your credit card details to avoid terminating your WhatsApp account. In some cases, they also ask for your 6-digit code to log into your WhatsApp account!”
WhatsApp never asks for details about your credit card and information like your 6-digit code or two-step verification PIN. WhatsApp doesn’t even ask for money or confidential information to avoid terminating accounts.Â
“If someone wants to get this information, it means it is a fake account that’s trying to scam you. In this case, just block and report the fake contact right within their chat info: last 5 messages from this chat will be shared with the official WhatsApp moderation team so they can understand the context of the conversation and they can suspend the account.”
“This is not limited to WhatsApp: fake accounts may impersonate anyone, even your friends and family, so be aware when unknown contacts pretend to be someone you may know.”