Whatsapp Gold: The latest scam to hit Whatsapp

By K S Aditya Rao | First Published May 27, 2016, 6:01 AM IST

With over a billion users, Whatsapp is a prime target for 'phishing attacks' seeking to install fake software on user's phones. Hackers can later track data from the phone via these software.

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The latest of these attacks is a false message that asks users to download a 'new version' of Whatsapp, called 'Whatsapp Gold'.

The text message, which many users received from www.goldenversion.com, had the following format -

"Hey finally secret Whatsapp Gold version has been leaked. This version is used by only big celebrities; now we can use it too. Whatsapp Gold contains many advanced features like—video calling, delete the messages sent by mistake, send more than 100 pictures at once, free calling, change Whatsapp themes, and tonnes of great features. The Whatsapp Gold version can be downloaded only via invites and I am inviting you. Once you download this Whatsapp Gold, the green icon will change to gold and you can enjoy all features 100 percent safely."

The illegal application is not available on Google's Play store or Apple's App store.

Even as the 'Whatsapp Gold' scam is doing the rounds, other Whatsapp scams like 'Whatsapp Plus' continue to haunt app users.

Whatsapp developers had earlier warned users that all such applications were not developed by them. They further clarified that if Whatsapp did launch a new app, users would be reached through official channels.

Whatsapp has urged users to block the senders of such messages and report it to the company if they continue to receive such messages.

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