Ours is the age of smartphones and instant messaging applications. Telegram and WhatsApp are the best known and used in the world and allow us to exchange messages, videos, documents and much more. However, not all messages are especially welcome. Especially when they are of dubious origin and become particularly persistent. But fear not. Here’s how to block time-consuming spam and group invites that are often sent by hackers and malicious people. The only thing you have to do is learn how to use some of the hidden features of WhatsApp.
How to defend yourself against spam messages
WhatsApp is still the most used messaging app in the world. For this reason, it is the favorite hunting ground for hackers, who launch computer scams every day from which it is essential to learn how to defend yourself.
However, not all messages put personal and banking details at risk. Often the messages and invitations to the groups are simply useless and very annoying. The first step in getting rid of them is learning to recognize them. Spam is often accompanied by the words “forwarded multiple times.” If we realize this, it is better to go ahead and not open the message.
If, on the other hand, we want to avoid being placed in spam groups or in groups that we don’t want to be in, we have an interesting WhatsApp function at our disposal.
We simply click on the icon with the three horizontal points of the application. From here we select our Account and enter the Privacy menu. Next, we click on Groups and change the settings. From this menu, we can force WhatsApp to ask us for permission before joining a group. But that is not all. We can also set who can add us and block spam contacts who can’t.
Another useful trick to reduce the number of spam messages is to report them as soon as they arrive. Click on the offending message and from there on the name of the contact. A drop-down menu will open where we will have the option to report both the contact and the spam activity.
We can even block the contact permanently if they continue to spam. Enter the chat and click on the icon with the dots again. Several entrances will open. We select others and then mark the block of items for spam.
We probably won’t be able to solve the problem definitively, but we will surely breathe again. And, above all, we will reduce the risks of cyber attacks and potentially dangerous links.