An SMS message purporting to be from mobile messenger WhatsApp has created a stir in recent weeks. WhatsApp users around the country have been receiving messages asking them to update their systems.
The message, which says ‘You have not updated to the latest WhatsApp add-ons. Click here now [URL] to update your messenger’ is in fact a hoax.
Clicking on the link takes users to a screen which asks them to ‘update your wall 4 WhatsApp’ and then to a big green button saying ‘continue’.
However, if users are not aware that the ‘upgrade’ has nothing to do with the social messenger, it could end up costing the unsuspecting victim R7 per day (more than R200 a month). This subscription however is to a social network called Buddiechat.
According to hoaxslayer.com, people often do not realise for some time that they are being billed anything extra due to the small amounts.
“The process for opting out is sometimes made exceptionally difficult. Never update WhatsApp by following a link in a message,” the website warned.
