InfoSecBulletin Cybersecurity for mankind
WhatsApp is rolling a new security warning on Android and iOS. It shows up before users open a chat with an unknown number. WABetaInfo said this feature shows the country of the phone number, if it’s saved in contacts, and if any groups are shared. This helps users think twice before dealing with possible scammers.
This new WhatsApp warning catches suspicious contact attempts early. When a user tries to start a chat with a phone number they haven’t messaged before, WhatsApp checks the number for safety.
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If the number has no trust signals, a pop-up will show, asking users if they really trust the person they want to contact.
Users can choose to keep talking or end the chat from that screen. Importantly, the other person does not get a notice about what the user decided — removing any uncomfortable pressure to continue.
In August 2025, Meta said it was looking into new ways to protect against messaging scams, and this feature shows that they are keeping that promise.
Scammers have long exploited the “new number” trick precisely because it triggers no immediate suspicion. A message like “Hey, it’s me, I changed my number” doesn’t look alarming on the surface; nothing technically harmful has happened yet.
That time when no one suspects is what bad people use to act quickly before a target can think clearly.
By adding a friction point before the chat starts, WhatsApp breaks that brief chance to think. Just a mismatch in the country code can make someone pause, and that little moment of doubt can decide if they get tricked by a scam or not.
WhatsApp has a warning system to stop device-linking scams. In these scams, attackers trick victims into entering a code that connects a scammer’s device to their account.
The current system only works when a scam is already happening. The new pre-chat warning is ahead of time; it does not link devices and starts only when a contact is made.
