WhatsApp virus: what to do and how to eliminate it. As long as it is a "chain" - however boring they are - all is well, but if it's a real scam the story is very different! A virus WhatsApp Message it is nothing more than a fraud created specifically to deceive in order to steal information, money or, worse, damage your device with a virus.
But defending is easy, and counterattacking is even more so! In this guide we will explain how to recognize and how to defend yourself from such a message, so we'll see how to get rid of who sent it, making sure that he can no longer contact us on WhatsApp. Let's start right away:
- How to recognize a WhatsApp virus message
- How to defend yourself from a WhatsApp virus message
- Remove WhatsApp virus
WhatsApp virus: what to do and how to eliminate it
Recognize a scam message
They basically exist three types of scam messages that you can receive on WhatsApp and which are, in order of danger: attempt malevolent, virus, phishing. Let's see in particular how to recognize them:
WhatsApp Bufale (Fake News)
There are hundreds of them, they are none other than fake news posted online with the sole purpose of misinforming you. They are often harmless if it is just a written message but they can become extremely dangerous if they contain a link, a highlighted address that you are prompted to click on.
Recognizing an attacker is quite simple, just a little attention and common sense. Remember, in fact, that you can never win anything without participating in a competition, and the win will never be communicated on WhatsApp.
The same applies to "state announcements" such as those relating to alleged laws coming into effect or communications provided by the police. All these things are communicated through official channels, not on WhatsApp, and not just for you specifically. So avoid sharing messages to "break the chain".
However, if the message you received contains a link, do not click the link, absolutely for any reason, even if you know the person who sent it to you. That person, in fact, could have mistakenly shared it thinking it was the real deal. Here are some examples of WhatsApp hoaxes:
WhatsApp Message Virus
Even more dangerous than jokes, a virus in WhatsApp messages it is essentially a message that makes you click on a link anyway. But always remember one thing: once you click on a link, you will have played their game exactly and you will rarely be able to go back!
The "links" in fact, are nothing more than the addresses that lead you to a Web page, any Web page that you cannot know a priori. Once you get to that page, anything can happen and Viruses are often installed that can damage your smartphone until it is irreparable!
Be especially careful when reading what is written on those links: sometimes they are written in a confusing way, but often they seem to take you to an apparently "reliable" site because the link has been specially modified to earn your trust.
Please note: especially when these links lead you to the installation of an application (even if from the Play Store / App Store) because once installed it will have access to many data on your smartphone such as: contacts directory, gallery, account (perhaps with associated credit cards), messages and so on!
Therefore, the advice is once again of do not click on any links, especially if you don't know the contact who sent it. But as already mentioned, be careful to click on links that friends or relatives have sent you, who may not be aware of all the dangers we have just listed.
Phishing WhatsApp
But the most dangerous of all are the attempts to Phishing. These messages (which we remember once again, contain a link that will try to get you to click) are the most dangerous and often difficult to recognize.
Il Phishing is a practice where they try to get you to go to a site (that you think is safe or that you think you know), here you enter: personal information, e-mail addresses and - very often - credit cards, bank details or similar.
It goes without saying that you absolutely must not enter personal data (of any kind) on any site. Often, it happens that those who create a phishing attempt, however, try to deceive you, for example by asking you to enter your Facebook credentials on a site that appears to be Facebook: as a result you will have "given" your credentials to someone.
But often you are also asked to enter your PayPal credentials or your credit card, perhaps to pay for the shipping of an item that you "won", and so on! So pay attention to the site you are visiting looking closely at the address or making sure it is a site protected by the standard HTTPS.
Defend yourself from fraudulent messages
We will never get tired of saying it, the most effective weapon to defend against a WhatsApp virus is indifference! However, we must also fight back and defend ourselves properly!
The first thing to do when you receive a message that, even if only remotely, may seem like a hoax or a scam, is block the contact who sent you this message: so the message and chat will be deleted and that person will never be able to message you again.
Blocking a contact is simple: enter the conversation of the person who sent you that message and you will notice that top right there will be a symbol with three dots ( ︙ ) from which a small menu will come out. Click now on "Other"And then on"Block". A message will appear finally, click on "Report and block".
If you have any doubts or concerns, do not hesitate to leave a comment below or send us a message on our Facebook page, we will help you as soon as possible!
Further Reading:
- The new WhatsApp scam steals your personal data and conversations with one click
- How to change Whatsapp group administrator
- How to remove the desktop.ini file from your computer
- How to permanently delete a WhatsApp group
- How to remove advertisements that pop up on their own
