WhatsApp has launched a new ‘Safety Overview’ feature to help users avoid scams by providing key information about groups before joining unknown ones.
Safety Overview Tool: WhatsApp, the popular messaging app owned by Meta, is constantly introducing new features to prevent scam activities and strengthen user security on its platform. Now, WhatsApp has launched a new tool called 'Safety Overview', which will help users avoid unwanted and suspicious WhatsApp groups. This feature will provide users with important information about groups they are added to by unknown people.
This new security feature from WhatsApp comes at a time when incidents of scams, phishing, and fraud are rapidly increasing. Many users are being targeted, especially through unknown group invites.
What is 'Safety Overview'?
'Safety Overview' is a security feature that activates when someone who is not in your contact list adds you to a WhatsApp group. In this situation, the app will show you important information related to that group, so you can decide whether to stay in the group or leave immediately.
This information is based on the following points:
- The name and profile of the person who added you to the group
- The total number of members in the group
- Information about the person who created the group
- The date the group was created
How will this feature work?
Whenever an unknown user adds you to a new group, WhatsApp will display an overview in the form of a safety card. From here, the user can decide whether they want to stay in the group or not. If the user finds the group suspicious, they can leave the group directly without opening any messages. In addition, group notifications will be turned off until the user confirms that they want to stay in the group.
This provides the user with a kind of security layer to prevent phishing and scam attacks.
New Security Plan for Personal Chats Too
In addition to WhatsApp groups, the company is now testing a new safety system for private chats as well. Under this, if a user starts a chat with someone who is not in their contact list, WhatsApp will provide some information related to that person's background – such as whether they frequently create groups or how many users have reported them. This feature will help users make better decisions about whether they want to interact with that person or not.
Major Steps to Prevent Scams: 6.8 Lakh Accounts Banned
Meta revealed in its newsroom report that WhatsApp recently banned more than 6.8 lakh accounts, which were allegedly linked to scam centers. These scam centers were particularly active in Cambodia and South Asia, from where fraudulent messages such as fake job offers, lottery scams, and sextortion were sent to users.
WhatsApp's Advice for Users
WhatsApp has also given some essential advice to users to avoid scams:
- Do not click on links from unknown numbers
- Leave suspicious groups immediately
- Go to Settings and set the 'Who can add me to groups' option to 'My Contacts' or 'My Contacts Except...'
- Report any suspicious activity to WhatsApp
Partnership between OpenAI and Meta
WhatsApp is now working on a partnership with Meta and OpenAI to identify and eliminate these scam networks. According to reports, these networks are highly organized and are misusing technology to deceive users on a mass scale.
