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A ​WhatsApp Scam Is Doing The Rounds, So Watch Out Guys

A ​WhatsApp Scam Is Doing The Rounds, So Watch Out Guys

Criminals are spamming unsuspected users.

James Dawson

James Dawson

WhatsApp has been subject to a nationwide scam, with users being told that they are going to have to start paying for the service.

Unsuspecting people in Britain are being sent SMS messages claiming that the phone owner's subscription has 'expired' and they must pay 99p to continue using the app.

When the app first launched, way back in 2010, it did charge a 99p fee after a year's free use, but that is no longer the case.

Credit: PA

But if you receive the message you can rest assured it's complete and utter bullshit.

It seems that criminals have a contact book of British phone numbers and have been sending these messages out.

A number of users have reported the scam on social media since April.

Credit: WhatsApp

The message states: "Your subscription has expired.

"To verify your account and purchase a lifetime subscription for just 0.99 GDP simply tap on this link..."

Your best bet is to delete the message as soon as it arrives and to run antivirus software if you have clicked the link.

Credit: PA

WhatsApp, was created by former Yahoo! employees Brian Acton and Jan Koum in 2009.

Facebook acquired the company for $19 billion (£14 billion) in 2014.

It was recently reported that the messaging service could soon let users recall messages within five minutes of being sent.

Credit: PA

WhatsApp tested the addition as an option in the beta version of a recent update, meaning it could soon be available on iOS and other platforms, according to monitors WABetaInfo.

If you're a Gmail user, you'll be familiar with this feature, although you don't get five minutes; it's more like 10 seconds.

Last year, WhatsApp began testing a version of the app which would allow you to 'unsend' a message, provided it hadn't been read by the recipient.


Credit: PA

Those who were using the tester version had an 'edit' or 'revoke' button when they pressed a message. As yet, it's not known if the new feature will work in the same way, but it seems likely.

WhatsApp has not officially confirmed the feature.

Featured Image Credit: PA Images

Topics: whatsapp, Scam

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