WhatsApp has cautioned its users to watch out for suspicious messages whose aim is to scam them.
In a notification on Saturday, the popular messaging app said that while scams can happen to anyone, taking safety tips is key to ensuring one does not fall prey.
"When you receive messages from someone that is not in your contacts, we will show you signals in the message that you can use to determine how to respond," WhatsApp stated.
"These signals will let you know if they're your contact, if you have groups in common, and if their phone number is registered in a different country. From there, you can decide if you should reply, add them as a contact, block them or report them."
The messaging app stated that users should take note of messages asking for personal information, offering money, or sharing suspicious links.
In such cases, users are advised not to respond, tap, or forward the message, to block and report the sender and finally update their privacy settings to choose who can contact them.
As a best practice, users are advised not to forward messages that they aren’t sure are true or don’t know who wrote them.
"If you’re unsure of an unknown contact’s identity, ask them a personal question to confirm their identity and if they’re truly a known contact. You could also do a voice or video call with them to confirm their identity."