Do you have the right WhatsApp installed? Meta penalizes users of deceptively similar fake apps

Fake versions of WhatsApp are circulating on the Google Play Store.

If these are used in good faith, the user can face serious consequences.

Munich - WhatsApp is one of the most popular messenger apps worldwide.

The application has been downloaded more than five billion times in the Google Play Store alone.

For comparison: competitor Telegram has over a billion downloads, Signal just over 100 million.

The great popularity of WhatsApp among users also magically attracts scammers.

This is how the “grandchild trick” arrived on WhatsApp.

Supposed relatives call an unknown number because their phone is said to be broken.

Then they ask for money.

In another case, a fake Coca-Cola sweepstakes was going around on Messenger.

Anyone who clicks on the attached link ends up in an expensive subscription trap.

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Using apps similar to WhatsApp may result in account suspension.

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© Jakub Porzycki/Imago

Brazen WhatsApp scam: Fake apps are strikingly similar to the original

Currently, a brazen scam by scammers is targeting users who are either installing WhatsApp for the first time or re-downloading the app on a new smartphone.

The online edition of the British tabloid

reports that there are some scammer versions of WhatsApp.

These include GBWhatsApp and WhatsApp Plus.

The intention of the criminals is to get the user's contact details.

Energy price flat rate simple: How much money is there for whom?

Energy price flat rate simple: How much money is there for whom?

The logos of these applications are visually similar to the real thing, so it's easy to fall for the fakes if you're not careful.

The nasty thing is that you can use the fake apps to chat with your WhatsApp contacts as usual.

However, these have a different “look and feel” and differences become apparent when they are used.

Fake apps in Google Play Store: User's WhatsApp account can be blocked

However, the original WhatsApp is not exactly happy when communicating with friends in this constellation.

, if the experts of the parent company Meta notice this, it can lead to

dire consequences for the user.

Because there is a risk that the account used in both the original and fake versions of the messenger will be blocked.

List of rubrics: © Jakub Porzycki/Imago