Phishing scams are a constant threat as they allow cybercriminals easy access to steal money or personal information without detection. These scams disguise themselves as legitimate emails from banks and companies. While email providers have improved their ability to automatically detect and
block
most phishing attempts, the responsibility to identify and avoid scams still lies heavily with the user on most messaging platforms.
The accounts on the Meta-owned popular instant messaging platform
are linked to phone numbers. So anyone with your number can contact you on the app. This makes it easier for bad actors to contact you directly. To, ensure user safety, WhatsApp displays cautionary alerts just underneath the sender’s contact information when you receive messages from unknown numbers. The platform also has a new feature that makes it simple to manage spam directly from your
lock screen
.
Now, whenever you get a message on WhatsApp, you’ll also see a prominent Block button beside the Add to contacts button for such chats, but you need to open the chat to tap the message, or at the very least, block the sender from your chat list.
The platform recently messaged its users through its official handle to announce a new feature where users can block messages from an unknown contact directly from the lock screen. In a quick video, the company explained that if a message has indications of phishing attempts, Ponzi schemes, or other scams.
How to block contacts from lock screen on WhatsApp
Whenever you get messages from on WhatsApp:
- You will see a small arrow beside the message on your lock screen.
- Clicking the arrow will expand the quick actions view
- This view will offer two options -- “Block” and “Reply”
- Hit the "Block "option to stop it from sending any more messages or,
- Click on the "Reply" button to type a reply without opening the app
How to report contacts from lock screen on WhatsApp
On clicking the Block option, WhatsApp will also display a secondary prompt to
report
the contact. To do this:
- Tap the checkbox for the Report contact option
- Hit Block to confirm your action in the pop-up window.
The sender’s last five messages will be shared with WhatsApp, and this is expected to train a smart and automatic spam prevention system.
Since this system of blocking contacts is available on your lock screen, it's now also available in your notification shade. This feature can save the effort of opening the app and then the chat, just to block and report unwanted messages.
Here are some other ways to block and report a contact on WhatsApp:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_QcWk0QJC8
English (US) ·