Know what is 'Pink WhatsApp scam' and here's how you can protect your phone from it

A lot of people have been receiving a WhatsApp forward which contains a link claiming to be an installation link of the pink-themed version of the application.

The message, called ‘WhatsApp Pink’, states that WhatsApp's new official version with new features and a pink theme is now available for download.

Although, the link does change the colour of the application to pink, however, ‘WhatsApp Pink’ is among those malicious apps which steal the data like OTPs, contacts, photos and banking details from the phone.

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As per media reports, the ‘WhatsApp Pink Scam’ is not a new scamming application and was first exposed by internet security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia in April 2021.

Mumbai Police Cyber Crime Wing also tweeted earlier this month to alert users about the 'Whatsapp Pink' application and shared guidelines on how people can protect their devices from such scams.

"The news about 'New Pink Look WhatsApp with extra features' which is recently doing rounds among WhatsApp users is a hoax which can lead to hacking of your mobile through malicious software. It is not an uncommon instance to see fraudsters come up with a variety of new tricks and ways to lure gullible users into falling into their trap to commit cyber fraud. It is for the users to be Aware, Alert, and Attentive to these kinds of frauds and remain safe and secure in the digital world," stated the Mumbai Police in its advisory.

For those who want to protect their devices from such scams, they should always download and install the application from verified sources like Google Play Store. However, iPhone users remain safe from such scams as Apple does not permit the installation of applications from unknown sources.

People should also refrain from installing applications from unknown websites or APKs which are sent by unknown people. One can also check the ‘Forwarded’ label on WhatsApp messages to verify if the message has been forwarded from a friend or it came from somewhere else.

In order to remove WhatsApp Pink, all suspicious devices need to be unlinked from WhatsApp's 'Linked devices’ section. According to the security researcher, once WhatsApp Pink is installed on the device, the app can hide itself from the list of installed apps.

To find the 'hidden' WhatsApp Pink, go to the ‘Apps’ section in the settings app of the phone, look for ‘WhatsApp Pink’ which has the pink logo and click on the uninstall button. The malicious app sometimes has no name in the list of applications, so one should also make sure that those are uninstalled as well.

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