If you get a message offering you a lifetime subscription to WhatsApp for 99p, this is what you should do
A new WhatsApp scam is spreading fast and aims to trick users into paying for the free messaging service. Several users have received a text message, which appears to come from the social site, that says their “subscription has expired”. The text message invites the receiver to click on a link and pay 99p for a “lifetime subscription” to the service.
Although the site used to charge users 99p a year, the messaging service went free at the beginning of 2016. Since then a number of scams have attempted to trick users into paying for messages. At the end of last year, many users received a message stating that it would “become chargeable” on 1 January 2017.
The scam went on to offer the solution of forwarding the message to 10 contacts in order to avoid the charge of “0.01ps per message”. The fraud targeted inactive users and claims that when users have forwarded the message on to 10 people their WhatsApp icon, that is usually green, will turn blue.
Another scam attempted to lure users into clicking on hateful links with the promise of £100 worth of Sainsbury’s vouchers.
WhatsApp’s response to such scams is clear, to block the sender, disregard the message and delete it.
For future reference, WhatsApp says to look out for these points when you suspect a hoax:
- Sender claims to be affiliated with WhatsApp.
- The message content includes instructions to forward the message.
- Message claims you can avoid punishment, like account suspension, if you forward the message.
- The message content includes a reward or gift from WhatsApp or another person.Source: www.mirror.co.uk/tech
