How to make WhatsApp safe without hackers: New hacking ways

All WhatsApp users, no matter where they are in the world, have a collective responsibility to keep the app safe and free from scammers and hackers. When a hacker hijacked my number on WhatsApp, I found the experience uninteresting. My phone could not access the app.

I had to restart the phone several times because I did not know what had happened to my app. Ultimately, I decided to inform a friend, who expressed his suspicion of possible hacking. I had to now uninstall the app and reinstall WhatsApp for 72 hours to permit me to access the account and reinstall the app.

To ensure the hacker did not succeed, I applied for the new code several times, which led to WhatsApp blocking the hacker and myself from accessing the same WhatsApp account. I quickly sent a message to WhatsApp, and this helped me recover the account.

The New WhatsApp Hacking Trick

Today, there is a new WhatsApp account hijacking approach that scammers and hackers are using to take over accounts. With this new method they use, you end up receiving several WhatsApp verification codes. They can get your phone number from WhatsApp groups, on Facebook, or anywhere you have left it online.

Once the hacker keeps sending the verification code to your phone, do well to report the issue to WhatsApp and do not try to reinstall the app. An attempt to reinstall the app will lead to WhatsApp blocking your account for at least 12 hours. Once this happens, the hacker can do anything on his or her end to access your account.

You can also lose your WhatsApp account forever as a result of the several verification requests made by the hacker. If you are not lucky, the hacker can also use his email ID (stolen or compromised) to write a complaint to WhatsApp to get your account deactivated on the app.

This will be followed by an auto-generated email to the attacker’s email ID asking them to enter a new phone number.

Since WhatsApp has no systems that can confirm whether the request is coming from the right owner of the phone number, they can easily process the deactivation request.

All the processes above are automated, and they will happen on your side, and your phone number will no longer be on WhatsApp.

The question is, are we able to tell if someone is a potential scammer, and if they have an intention to scam us?

While it is often difficult to tell, the tips below will provide readers with the basics of scammer detection ideas when they use WhatsApp.

How to make WhatsApp safe without scammers or hackers, and what to look out for

Some scammers call you and indicate that they are moving members of a particular group to another group. Sometimes, they tell you that they are doing a new registration of members of a particular group you belong to. All these are lies, and you must be simply alert to know that this is not true. Again, if the number calls you, do well to check if the number is an admin of the said group. If not, there is a 100% chance that a scammer or hacker is interested in harming your presence on WhatsApp.
Apart from the above, they also chat with you and leave fake links in your DM. Be very careful when strangers you do not know leave all manner of links in your DM. Do not click such links because they are often links that aim at either hacking your WhatsApp or sealing your bio data on the mobile device. Delete such messages as soon as you receive them.
Scammers or hackers sometimes join public groups and then add all members to their groups. They may initially share information in their groups that appears useful and harmless, but gradually, they start sharing fake links, which expose you as you click on them.

To remain safe on WhatsApp without scammers and hackers attacking you,

If a hacker or scammer has infiltrated your group, it is the admin’s responsibility to alert members and remove any harmful content they have posted.
Between 10 and 20 members of the group should send a message to the particular number and warn the person not to publish spam or content that aims at hacking other WhatsApp accounts. After sending a screenshot of the message to the group, the individual should share it with them before reporting the account to WhatsApp. Once up to 20 members do this and report the number, WhatApp is likely to take a look at the issue and block or ban the number from its app.
Groups should have at least 2 to 3 admins who are extra careful and good at detecting potential hackers and scammers in groups and removing them from the group.
As an individual, do not repost fake information about scholarships and freebies, including money, because these are all smart ways WhatsApp scammers and hackers attempt to commit their offenses on the app daily. The more you share such fake messages, the more you help them attack unsuspecting users of the app.
When WhatsApp scammers and hackers call you to request a PINCODE and send you your mobile phone, never give that code to them. What they have done is that they have registered your WhatsApp on another phone using your number. As soon as you give them the code and they log in, they will take over your WhatsApp and start abusing it.
Make good use of the double verification process on WhatsApp because such accounts are safer and more difficult to hack.

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These tips and points explained here should help us know how to make WhatsApp safe without scammers and hackers. By collectively removing these bad characters from the app, we can make it safer for everyone. We all have a responsibility to prevent the anxiety that arises when we discover too late that scammers and hackers have compromised your WhatsApp.