Whatsapp users in Gedling borough are urged to be on the alert over a new scam involving fraudsters posing as WhatsApp Support.
WABetaInfo, a blog dedicated to news about the messaging app, issued the alert earlier this week.
According to the blog, a WhatsApp user was contacted by a fake account that was trying to steal their information.
The social media scammers reportedly pose as the official WhatsApp Support account to con users out of their personal information.
They send out messages from accounts featuring a profile photo that contains a verified badge support use.
Users are advised to block and report the contact within the app’s chat function.
The messages reportedly seek to obtain private information such as credit card details, with a warning that failure to provide them could result in the WhatsApp account being terminated.
In some cases, users are asked for a 6-digit code that would provide access to their WhatsApp account, WABetaInfo said.
Genuine WhatsApp support services do not request credit card details or the 6-digit code or two-step verification PIN.
“If someone wants to get this information, it means it is a fake account that’s trying to scam you,” WABetaInfo said.
“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.
“Note that 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.”
