WhatsApp is the most used instant messaging app in the world and that’s not hidden from anyone. Not even scammers! And for the same reason, scammers are highly active on WhatsApp constantly looking for new prey.
If you are a WhatsApp user then you must have received messages from unknown numbers at some point in time. In most cases, these numbers are online scammers who are using WhatsApp to scam people on a daily basis.
In this article, I bring to you an informative guide on how to protect yourself from WhatsApp scams. We will also have a look at how to track a scammer on WhatsApp. So without wasting any time let’s begin and find out how to track someone through WhatsApp.
How To Track A Scammer On WhatsApp?
The first question that popped up in my head while doing research on this topic was why would a scammer use WhatsApp to scam someone. Well, the obvious reason is that over 2 billion people use WhatsApp, so scammers have lots of people to scam.
Moreover, it’s easy to pretend to be someone else on WhatsApp than in real life. Hence a scammer can easily pretend to be your friend or relative and try to scam you in their name. Also, it’s hard to trace a WhatsApp call when compared to cellular calls because they are end-to-end encrypted.
Apart from that, a scammer can contact anyone in the world using WhatsApp for free because this platform is available in most parts of the world.
It’s hard to track a scammer on WhatsApp and that’s probably why scammers are using it to scam people. But, if you are scammed by someone on WhatsApp then you can’t sit still, you must take some action. But what can you do? Well, you can lodge a complaint in the cybersecurity department.
Moreover, you can take the charge in your own hands and track the scammer by yourself. For that, you can do the reverse phone lookup. Most scammers use a fake number to scam people on WhatsApp. However, if by any chance they are using their own phone number then you can find their name, address, and other details using the reverse number lookup services.
There are other ways to tell if a phone number is a scammer such as doing a simple Google search for the phone number or using social media sites to find the person behind the number. However, these methods only work if the scammer is using their own cell number to scam people.
There’s one more trick that you can pull off to know the WhatsApp scammer’s exact location. What you can do is use a third-party app like GEOfinder to send them a link to know their location. And, if they click on it then you will be able to track scammer’s current location via WhatsApp.
You can make use of the GEOfinder app to send an SMS containing the location tracking link to the scammer’s phone number which they are using to scam people on WhatsApp.
How To Protect Yourself?
There are fewer chances of tracking a scammer on WhatsApp. That said, you can follow the methods mentioned below to protect yourself from these scams.
1. Don’t Click Links Coming From Unknown Numbers
The first piece of advice that I would like to give is don’t click on any links that come from unknown WhatsApp accounts. These links may contain malware that may hack your device and give remote access to your WhatsApp account or device to the scammer.
2. Enable Two Factor Authentication On Your Account
Two-factor authentication is a security feature provided by WhatsApp to its users. With this feature, you can protect your accounts from online hackers and scammers. Once 2FA is enabled on your WhatsApp account no one can remotely access your profile without your permission.
3. Never Respond To Fishy Messages Related To Money
If you are getting messages from some unknown numbers related to money then you should not respond to them because these are mostly scammers. Even if you get a message related to an urgent need for money from a known contact, you should confirm it first. Because it is possible that your friend’s phone is hacked by the scammer and they are messaging from their account.
Just protecting yourself from the scammer is not enough. Once you have identified a scammer on WhatsApp, you should right away report them so that no other person can get scammed by them. It won’t take long, and you can do that for humanity.
- Open the WhatsApp application on your phone and go to Settings. Under Settings, find the Help option and tap on it.
- Now on the next screen tap on Contact Us to reach the WhatsApp customer support team.
- Finally, you can submit your report about the scam. After writing the message, tap on Next.
With this, you have successfully reported a scam on WhatsApp.
Wrapping Up
If you are using WhatsApp then you need to be very careful because the incidence of WhatsApp scamming is increasing day by day. You need to be proactive and identify a scammer on WhatsApp before they can do any harm to you. You can know if someone is a scammer on WhatsApp by observing their texting behavior. If they show urgency in taking money from you for any reason then they are most probably scamming you.
Also, you can identify a scammer if they pretend to be someone you know and when you ask why they are texting from a new number then they give you excuses like they have changed their number or their phone is lost, etc. The biggest red flag is when they ask you to send money to an unknown bank account.
These are some telltale signs to identify a scammer on WhatsApp. If you notice any of these signs then you should avoid talking to that person and report them. So that you and no one else can get scammed on WhatsApp.
