Hack of the Day: How to avoid scams on WhatsApp Payments
‘The Times of India’ brings you ‘Hack of the Day’—a new weekday series of quick, practical solutions to everyday hassles. Each hack is designed to save you time, money or stress, using tools and features within your reach—from government websites to everyday apps. In simple terms, it’s simple fixes for smarter living.Meta-owned WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging platforms used by billions of users globally. The company has introduced several features over the years to improve user experience. One such feature is WhatsApp Payments – a feature that enables users to send money directly from the platform. However, it is being exploited by online scammers to dupe innocent users. To help its customers stay safe and not fall victim to online frauds when using WhatsApp Payments, the company has listed some tips and tricks for its users. Some of the measures a user can take include: Avoid clicking on suspicious link: Do not click on any suspicious links or links received from unknown users.Accept payments from trusted contacts only: Remember that if someone requests money from you and you accept the request, the funds will be withdrawn from your account. Only accept payment requests from people you trust.Keep your device safe: If your phone is lost or stolen, notify your bank. Alternatively, users can go to whatsapp.com and select Contact Us to contact the platform.Check for verified badges when contacting WhatsApp: Users must note that WhatsApp never contacts for payment or bank information. In rare cases, if the platform does contact a user, WhatsApp will chat from an official WhatsApp account.Meta Verified badge (sticker with a checkmark) will be present.
Additional tip:
If you receive a message from an unknown number and you think it’s a scam, you can block and report the number. To do so:– On Android: Tap Block and then select Report Contact . Tap Block .– On iOS: Tap Block > Block and Report .– On the web: Click Block , then click Report Contact . Click Block .– On Mac: Click Report > Report and Block .– On Windows: Click Block > Report and Block .
