WhatsApp holds the title of being the most popular online messaging apps in the world. The app is constantly being updated with new features and bug fixes which are specially designed to keep users out of harm’s way. However, the app’s developers are not entirely capable of removing every threat that lives in WhatsApp.
The only downside to using WhatsApp is that there are many scammers who are always looking for new and sneaky methods of tricking users into giving them their account information or money. This is a real problem in the WhatsApp community, especially since these scammers are quite creative and their tricks manage to fool many people.
WhatsApp Scam
The latest scam that is plaguing the WhatsApp community tries to trick users into paying a monthly subscription fee of $0.99. The reason why this scam manages to trick people is because it’s made to look like an official message from WhatsApp. What’s even worse about this scam is that it comes under the guise of an official message from a user named “@WhatsApp”. Therefore, WhatsApp users should never trust any messages they receive.
False Subscription Fee
This is exactly what the message from “@WhatsApp” says: “Your subscription expired. To verify your account and purchase a lifetime subscription for just $0.99 simply tap on this link (REDACTED)”. With that said, WhatsApp users should make it their top priority to not click on any links from unknown sources, even though the one who sends the message might appear as “@WhatsApp”.
WhatsApp Statement
In order to shed some light on this issue, an official WhatsApp spokesperson stated the following: “WhatsApp doesn’t charge a subscription fee and we got lots of reports about fraudulent texts identical to this. We advise people not to click the links or dial any numbers provided in unsolicited messages like this one”.
