WhatsApp 'friend in need' scam: What is it and how you stay safe?

Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp is one of the most used and liked applications and therefore, there is always a higher chance of scamming people through various unverified links and messages. 

The latest scam on WhatsApp is called a "friend in need" scam where users have complained of receiving messages from their friends saying that they need help. Users in the UK have, so far, received such messages.

In this scam, scammers pose as friends of WhatsApp users, claiming they are stuck abroad and need monetary help. According to a report in Metro, a 53-year-old nurse recently was scammed after she got a message from a friend who claimed that his son is in trouble and needs help. 

The nurse, without thinking, sent the money and was conned out of £2,500. The nurse was quoted by Metro as saying, "I love my kids and if they text me in need I will help them, who wouldn’t help their own children? These scammers know this and I think they are purposely targeting mothers because it is our natural instinct to help." 

Asking the users to be careful, WhatsApp, in a statement has said, "If you receive a suspicious message. calling or requesting a voice note is the fastest and simplest way to check someone is who they say they are. A friend in need is a friend worth calling."

How does the "friend in need" scam work? 

The scammers have access to your friends/family's numbers by hacking them, experts say. If anyone you know has lost a mobile phone then there is a chance that their phone can be used to send such distressing messages. 

How can you save yourself from such scams?

If you do receive such a message from a friend or family member asking for money then instead of sending it straight away, call up the phone and check the source of the message. Also, pay special attention to the language used in such suspicious messages.