A bunch of users have reported that they have received some e-mails that have the WhatsApp logo on it and which claim that they have to click on a big green button to read the message.
E-mail spam and scams are nothing new to the PC user community because a lot of scammers have used the name of big brands throughout the years. But, the problem is that when it comes to a frequently used messenger like WhatsApp, users mostly forget the fact that it is a smartphone app and is not supposed to notify you through an e-mail. Even though, there is a web version of the same, the original application was never designed to alert users through any other means.
Official Support Page Confirmed
The official WhatsApp support page has answered a user who questioned whether they send any messages, alerts or notifications through e-mail messages. The developer team confirmed that they have never had such a policy in place.
In their statement, the team said, “We never have a policy that allows the team to notify a user through e-mail messages. We will never e-mail you to notify, or update your app, and will never send a message, request payment, make voice calls, or request videos and pictures. As we don’t have any such policies, we request users to be on alert and never click on any such links. The best way is to simply ignore them.”
They also added that e-mail will be used as a means of communication only when you contact their technical support team and open a ticket. They will use the medium to notify you of the status of a user’s complaint and other things related to a ticket. Apart from that, everything else is handled through Android or iOS, among other operating system platforms.
Hacked E-mails
Reports suggest that the e-mail messages sent in the name of WhatsApp are actually hacked accounts of friends or other people. The accounts are sometimes hijacked for short periods of time, to make you instantly believe that it comes from a reliable source. It is a phishing scam and can be used to perform a wide range of actions including dropping a code on your computer which could send anonymous data.
Whenever you receive any similar e-mail messages from WhatsApp or something similar, just don’t click on anything and close it. You can choose to report it as a spam but it is purely an individual choice and is not mandatory, just in case you were still doubtful.
- PAU
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