In recent days, a significant increase in WhatsApp scams originating from international numbers has been observed.
Several users have reported receiving unsolicited voice and video calls from unknown international numbers on the messaging platform.
Although fraudulent calls from international numbers on WhatsApp are not new, these incidents have been more frequent in recent days.
Whatsapp Scams From International Number
Many users have taken to social media platforms such as Twitter to share their experiences and express concerns about receiving calls from international numbers.
According to reports from WhatsApp users, calls from international numbers have been received from various countries, such as Ethiopia (+251), Malaysia (+60), Indonesia (+62), Kenya (+254), Vietnam (+84), Mali (+223), and other nations.
It is important to note that the country code displayed does not always correspond to the actual origin of the calls.
Scammers can acquire international numbers from agencies and use them for fraudulent activities within their country since WhatsApp calls are made over the internet.
Hence, the displayed country codes may not accurately indicate the scammers’ location.
Some of these numbers are:
+1 (202) 972-4547
+62 822-1897-3796
+7 903 858-27-50
+62 838-6620-5224
+84 38 341 6618
+1 (938) 336-5344
+1 (812) 777-7539
+62 895-4007-39893
To protect oneself from such calls, the most crucial and fundamental rule is to avoid answering calls from unknown numbers on WhatsApp, whether they are audio or video calls.
Blocking and reporting these numbers is also recommended. Users can block the number within WhatsApp or using the dialer app on their device.
However, it is only possible to report these numbers through WhatsApp’s reporting feature.
How To Block Fraud Numbers
To block a number on WhatsApp, you can follow these steps:
1. Open WhatsApp and navigate to the chat window with the contact you want to block.
2. Tap on the “More” option, usually represented by three vertical dots or lines in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. From the dropdown menu, select “Block” or “Block contact.”
4. A confirmation message will appear, asking if you want to block the contact. Tap on “Block” to proceed.
To access your blocked contacts list, follow these steps:
1. Open WhatsApp and tap on the “More options” button, usually represented by three vertical dots or lines in the top-right corner.
2. Select “Settings” from the dropdown menu.
3. In the Settings menu, choose “Privacy.”
4. Under the Privacy settings, tap on “Blocked contacts.”
You can view all the contacts you have blocked on WhatsApp by accessing the Blocked contacts list.
To add more contacts to the blocked list, you can select or search for the contact and tap on the “Block” option.
Keep in mind that blocking a contact means you won’t receive any messages, calls, or status updates from that user.
