WhatsApp will launch strict account settings in early 2026 to block scams, phishing, and malware. This mode provides journalists and activists with additional protection against online threats.
Key Features Of The New Security Update
- Strict account settings (Lockdown Mode): When this mode is enabled, media from unknown senders is blocked, link previews are disabled to keep your IP address private, and calls from people not in your contacts are silenced.
- Safety overview: When someone outside your contacts adds you to a group, see who created the group, how many people joined, and safety tips before viewing messages.
- Device Linking Warnings: If a device requests to connect to your WhatsApp account, you will receive a warning if the request seems suspicious. This alerts you to possible attempts to hijack your account.
- Advanced chat privacy: This setting stops others from exporting your chats, taking screenshots of your conversations, or downloading media shared in your chats.
- Automatic unknown-media blocking: WhatsApp will automatically block files, images, and videos sent from numbers not saved in your contacts. This default action prevents malicious files from reaching your device.
How to Activate Enhanced Protection
To enable these features, open Settings, tap Privacy, select Advanced, and turn on each switch for the protection tools. For added security, set a 6-digit PIN in Account settings.
These updates support Meta’s efforts to combat scams. Over 6.8 million accounts were recently banned for malicious activity. Meta will also add SIM binding, which requires an active SIM card to use an account and helps trace users.
As digital scams increase, WhatsApp’s Safety Overview helps prevent you from being added to untrustworthy groups by showing important details when someone you don’t know adds you.
The feature launches this week and aims to make group invitations clearer and less disruptive. If someone you don’t know adds you to a group, you will see important details about the group, such as who created it, how many people are in it, and some safety tips before any messages appear. You can leave the group right away or, if it seems familiar, check the chats. Notifications will stay muted until you make a choice.
This update is part of WhatsApp’s continuing efforts to protect users from fraud.
WhatsApp Bans Scam Center-Linked Accounts
WhatsApp and Meta’s security teams are working to shut down large criminal scam centers, many based in Southeast Asia. These groups are often run by organized crime and use forced labor. In the first half of this year, WhatsApp and Meta banned over 6.8 million accounts linked to these scams, frequently stopping them before they could fully operate.
Recently, OpenAI, Meta, and WhatsApp teamed up to stop a scam in Cambodia. The scammers used ChatGPT to write messages that led people to a WhatsApp chat, which later moved to Telegram, before asking for money to be sent to a cryptocurrency account. They tried to build trust by offering fake jobs like getting paid to like videos.
Stay vigilant against scams think before replying, especially to messages from unknown numbers offering money.
Take proactive steps: review your contacts and privacy settings immediately to protect yourself.
To stay safer on WhatsApp, make use of its built-in security features. Do a privacy checkup to control who can contact you and see your online status, and turn on two-step verification to protect your account. If you get a questionable message, use the block and report option right away. You can also turn on Silence Unknown Callers to avoid scam calls, and always use the official WhatsApp app to prevent using fake or harmful versions.
Source: WhatsApp launches ‘Safety Overview’ tool, bans 6.8 million scam centre-linked accounts
