WhatsApp adds new features to protect against scams

WhatsApp has announced a series of new features aimed at helping users identify scams on its messaging platform. The initiative comes as the company revealed it has shut down over 6.8 million accounts associated with scam operations targeting individuals globally. Among the new functionalities is a safety overview feature for group chats. This will alert users when they are added to a group by someone not in their contact list, providing crucial information about the group’s members and safety tips. Users will be able to see if the individual who added them is a contact and if any other group members are known to them. Notifications from the group will be silenced until the user decides to engage further. In addition, WhatsApp is aware of the tactics scammers use to initiate conversations on other platforms before moving to WhatsApp. To counter this, the app is experimenting with ways to notify users when they are about to chat with someone outside their contacts, offering additional context about the individual. The platform has also highlighted its collaboration with OpenAI in disrupting scam initiatives traced to a center in Cambodia. These scams included various schemes, from fake payment offers to pyramid schemes, all orchestrated to mislead users into investing in cryptocurrency. WhatsApp encourages users to remain vigilant by reflecting on the legitimacy of messages they receive. Users are advised to question the plausibility of the requests and to verify the identity of contacts claiming to be friends or family through alternative communication methods.