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Search across help situations, guides, tools, resources and South African safety information.
11 results for “WhatsApp”
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You've noticed messages you didn't send, you were logged out unexpectedly, or someone told you they received a strange message from your account. This can happen if someone obtained your verification code or gained access through WhatsApp Web.
Get Help
Your phone is gone, and it likely has access to your email, banking apps, WhatsApp, and other accounts. Acting quickly reduces what someone can do with it.
Learn
Urgency, requests for money or sensitive information, unexpected links, unusual files and requests for verification codes are warning signs. Verify the person or organisation through a separate trusted method before acting.
Learn
Do not share the code. Keep control of your number, check WhatsApp security settings, and enable two-step verification if available.
Learn
Secure WhatsApp immediately, review linked devices, enable two-step verification, and warn contacts not to trust suspicious requests from your account.
Learn
Phishing impersonates a trusted person or organisation to persuade you to reveal information, open a link, download something or take another risky action. Check the request, sender, destination and pressure before doing anything.
Learn
Scams often create pressure, ask for sensitive information or money, impersonate a trusted person or organisation, or try to bypass normal checks. Slow down, verify independently, and do not rely on contact details supplied by the suspicious message.
Learn
A convincing design does not prove that a website is legitimate. Check the exact domain, how you arrived there, what the site is asking for, and whether you can reach the organisation through its official app or website instead.
Learn
If your phone suddenly loses service without an obvious network problem and you suspect a SIM swap, contact your mobile provider immediately and ask them to check for an unauthorized SIM replacement. Then secure important accounts and monitor financial activity.
Resources
Practical steps to protect your WhatsApp account from takeover.
South Africa
WhatsApp scams range from fake prize messages and 'family in trouble' messages to full account takeovers using a stolen verification code.