New WhatsApp Feature Helps Users Identify Unknown Group Invites and Stay Protected From Online Scams

WhatsApp has added a new 'Safety Overview' feature to safeguard users from scams and frauds, particularly those involving group messaging. This action is part of Meta's broader effort to crack down on suspicious behaviour on its messaging services.

With this new update, if someone adds you to a WhatsApp group and they are not in your contact list, WhatsApp will notify you. This is intended to assist users in identifying potentially suspect groups to which they may have been added without their consent. The safety overview will provide key information about the group, such as its name and who created it, as well as useful tips for staying safe.

Users can then exit the group without even entering the chat, which reduces confusion.However, if someone believes the group appears familiar, they can click to enter the chat to learn more. To minimise disruption, notifications from such unknown groups will be silenced until the user agrees to stay.

In addition, WhatsApp is developing additional features to warn users when texting unknown contacts.It intends to provide additional context about the other person, allowing people to make better informed decisions before engaging in potentially harmful interactions.

WhatsApp has also made considerable measures to combat large-scale scams.The platform has been collaborating with Meta's security team to deactivate accounts connected to criminal scam networks.In just the first half of this year, WhatsApp banned more than 6.8 million accounts linked to frauds.The organisation stated that it used proactive investigation processes to identify and deactivate accounts even before scammers start using them.

Interestingly, some scammers used ChatGPT to create false messages inviting people to a WhatsApp chat. Victims were then sent to Telegram, where they were assigned tasks such as liking TikTok videos. After displaying fake "earnings," scammers tricked victims into depositing money into cryptocurrency accounts.

With the rise of such smart frauds, WhatsApp's new safety capabilities and continuous enforcement efforts are a significant step towards user protection and providing a safer messaging experience for all.

This article is based on information from NDTV