As we all know, WhatsApp has become one of the most popular communication methods nowadays, and many of its users are opting for it as a means to grow their businesses. But unfortunately, corrupt and unethical people see the popularity and marketing potential of WhatsApp as an opportunity to perpetrate mischief. To stay ahead of the threats posed by WhatsApp scams, users should know the basic strategies WhatsApp fraud perpetrators use to trick people. Some of their adopted methods are discussed in this article.
Here are some things to keep in mind when you are using WhatsApp to grow your business,
- Scammers cause harm via impersonation strategies,
- Dispersal of fictitious links,
- Inactive business clients,
- Less concentration on products,
- Verify before connecting via WhatsApp
Scammers cause harm via impersonation strategies:
Impersonation scam is a strategy most popular among perpetrators who perform forgery through online communication platforms. In this scheme, scammers deceive people by pretending to be a customer or a client whom their targets know and trust. They message their targets claiming that they have accidentally forwarded a message containing a one-time password or sometimes a verification code to their phone and ask them to forward the message back to them. The one-time password they demand is not something they mistakenly forwarded, but instead they need it to get access to your WhatsApp business account.
Dispersal of fictitious links:
Be wary while dealing with people who claim themselves to be wholesale dealers and send you links to their sites to confirm purchases and make transactions. It is not always a legitimate website that you are dealing with; sometimes scammers create fraudulent websites that look identical to existing legitimate business websites, by imitating their domain names and also by copying their website’s design. They do this to garner your personal information and eventually steal your hard-earned money.
Inactive business clients:
If you are a customer, be wary of illegitimate business people who are intended to steal your money. One can easily spot them by simply checking if the account is active or not. Keep track of their story and messages. Where a legitimate business client regularly advertises their products through stories and DMs and also maintains a time to upload images and details of products, an illegitimate business person seldom does that.
Less concentration on products:
Perpetrators who pose as legitimate business persons are very less likely to talk about the product they sell. As their aim is to run away with your money, they focus more on that rather than being descriptive about the product or maintaining a schedule.
Verify before connecting via WhatsApp:
More than 2 billion people use WhatsApp. No wonder this platform is also packed with social media perpetrators. So it is necessary that you verify all your customers’ and clients’ legitimacy before you add them to WhatsApp. No matter where the perpetrators belong, most of them try to find a place in WhatsApp to perpetrate forgery, as this platform is considered more vulnerable than other online communication platforms.
If you still get scammed after taking all the precautions, never forget that there are plenty of organizations that help people to recover funds that are lost in scams. You can easily find them on the internet and seek help.
