Billions of WhatsApp users must update their devices today to stop scammers with new triple alert feature

WHATSAPP has started to roll out a new triple alert feature that can help users detect a dodgy group chat – and you’ll need to update the app to access it.

As with any social media platform and messenger, scammers are rife.

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It’s important to be savvy, and make sure you’re protected at all times.

Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp along with Facebook and Instagram, has introduced a new feature to help its users in that mission.

If you’re added to a group by someone you don’t know, you will now see a context card pop up.

The alert will give you more more information about the group, such as who added you, when the group was created, and who created it.

These three details can help WhatsApp users piece together whether its a group they want to be part of – before they fall for a potential scam.

From there, WhatsApp users can decide to stay or leave the group.

They can also access some of WhatsApp’s safety tools.

Scammers often cast their phishing net far and wide, adding dozens of numbers to a group chat before trying to lure them into a scam.

The ruses themselves are varied, and can be anything from a get-rich-quick scheme to advertising job roles.

A tell tale sign that a group chat is not for you is if you don’t recognise the contact that added you, or the one that formed the chat.

It can also be suspicious if the group was only just created.

In less nefarious circumstances, the feature can save WhatsApp users from a little social embarrassment.

For example, if you just made a new friend or group of friends, and haven’t yet saved them in your contacts.

It can help confirm the new pal’s name.

The update has already begun rolling out, and will be available to all users in the coming weeks, according to Meta.

Simply update your app to access it.

More security features

The feature joins a raft of other safety and security features on WhatsApp.

A game-changing group safety feature, rolled out in 2019, stopped people from automatically adding you to groups.

Since then, users have been forced to invite others to groups, to avoid an unsolicited cascade of group chats appearing in your inbox from scammers.

Last year, WhatsApp unveiled a new setting that made it even easier to duck unwanted calls, by silencing unknown numbers.

More recently, WhatsApp introduced the nifty chat lock that stops prying eyes from snooping on your messages.

You can already add a lock to WhatsApp – stopping people from accessing the app.

But since April, WhatsApp owners have been able to place locks on specific conversations.