Whatsapp is the most popular messenger in the world. More than two billion people use the service of the US group Meta every month. Here people share pictures of their loved ones, their whereabouts and sometimes very personal content. It’s no wonder that Whatsapp has also been targeted by criminals.
Hackers and tricksters try to get their hands on sensitive user data in a variety of ways. That’s why it’s extremely important that you activate some functions of the messenger service and stick to some of the rules of the game.
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Whatsapp: How to protect yourself from criminals
Phishing emails, viruses and hacker attacks. Criminals leave no stone unturned to deceive WhatsApp users. Just recently, the police gave an important tip on how to deal with a nasty scam (more here). To ensure that you use the app as accident-free as possible, you can already take a few things into account in the settings, as the online portal “Mimikama” explains.
For example, you should check if you have two-factor authentication enabled. The function is intended to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing your Whatsapp account. This setting requires you to enter a six-digit code to activate your account on a new device. You can of course set the code yourself.
Important Whatsapp features
Also important: end-to-end encryption. The messenger service encrypts all chats and calls so that nobody can decrypt the messages. Even Whatsapp then has no access to the data and cannot pass it on to third parties. You can also set that you will receive a security notification if someone tries to log into your Whatsapp account. If in doubt, you can then quickly take action.
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You can also block contacts if you feel bothered by spam messages, for example. In this case, the blocked accounts will not know that you have blocked them. Particularly important: Again and again, tricksters use Whatsapp to pretend to be relatives and pretend to be in distress. As soon as you are asked for money or sensitive information, be sure to call your contacts. This is the only way you can clarify whether your relatives are really in need.