It’s almost a rite of passage at this point to be hit with some bold-faced scam over on WhatsApp, but now Meta is taking steps to stop them from ever getting that far. On the occasions the odd scammer does slip through, the company is adding new security tools to help users spot scams and deal with them effectively.
Meta reckons it’s already taken a big step toward conquering the scourge of scammers, noting that it had already rid the platform of roughly 6.8 million scam accounts in the first six months of the year alone. “…We proactively detected and took down accounts before scam centers were able to operationalize them,” it said.
Taking down the swindlers and hustlers
On top of tackling scam centres dotted around the world, a feat it’s keeping quiet about when it comes to the details — so as not to mobilise other scammers against WhatsApp’s tactics — it’s also introducing new safety tools to protect all its users from “known scam tactics at scale.”
Up first are changes to group messaging. If a user is ever added to a group chat that they’re unfamiliar with, they’ll be presented with a new ‘safety overview’ containing safety tips and key information about the group to help them determine if it’s something they want to stick around for. Texts are automatically silenced until the user determines they want to remain in the group.
Read More: WhatsApp’s new update reminds you when you inevitably forget to text back
Meta appears to have the group messaging feature on lock, with more plans to adapt the feature for individual chats. “For example, we’re exploring ways to caution you when you start a chat with someone not in your contacts by showing you additional context about who you’re messaging so you can make an informed decision,” it said.
There’s no word from WhatsApp as to when users can expect these safety overviews to turn up in-app, as the features still appear to be in development. We’ll let you know once they’ve made their way to the public.
