Mumbai, May 6: Meta-owned WhatsApp has been one of the few apps used by hundreds and thousands of people to communicate with their loved ones. However, over the course of time, the instant messaging app has now gone on to become the hub for fraudsters to spam people and share marketing messages. Although the app offers end-to-end encryption for messages, there have been growing complaints about people receiving fraud calls.

As per a report in News18, people using WhatsApp have been complaining about receiving audio and video calls from unknown numbers. The instances have only grown more in the recent past with lakhs of WhatsApp users stating that they are receiving calls from random international numbers. WhatsApp Scam Alert: COVID-19 Vaccine Feedback Call From the Number 912250041117 Will Hack User’s Phone? PIB Fact Check Shares Correct Number.

From Where WhatsApp Users Are Receiving Calls and Messages?

Reportedly, the international numbers are said to be from countries such as Malaysia, Kenya and Vietnam. Besides audio and video calls, users have also been said to have received messages on their WhatsApp accounts from unknown international numbers. Receiving calls and messages from unknown ISD codes and international numbers has put people in doubt.

Many users of the Meta-owned messaging app are questioning how these fraudsters have got their numbers. It must be noted that Meta-owned WhatsApp works through the VoIP network, which makes it easy for fraudsters to call or message people without facing any additional charges.

A thorough search of various social media platforms also revealed that these are not one-off incidents and many people have been reporting about this issue for some time now. WhatsApp Feature Update: Meta-Owned Messaging Platform Introduces New Feature To Add, Edit Contacts Within App on Android.

Users Receiving Calls From Malaysia, Kenya and Vietnam

As per the reports, WhatsApp users have been receiving calls and messages from random international numbers. The users said that they received calls that had ISD codes such as +60 (Malaysia), +254 (Kenya) and +84 (Vietnam). A few other users also claimed to have received calls from ISD codes such as +62 (Indonesia) and +223 (Mali) among others.

Reports also suggest that the alleged international callers are trying to scam people into revealing confidential data or stealing money from the user's bank account. However, there is no proof to confirm that the random calls and messages are indeed originating from the above-said countries. The messaging app's encryption for calls and messages also makes it hard to trace the scamsters making unknown calls and sending messages. It seems as if hackers are using this as a loophole to scam WhatsApp users.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 06, 2023 07:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).