If you use WhatsApp, you need to know this
You have been warned: Never update WhatsApp by following a link in a message.
CELLPHONE users are urged to be cautious about responding to messages from a Wireless Application Service Provider (WASP) which tell them they have not ‘updated to the latest WhatsApp Add-ons.’
According to the Hoax-Slayer website, the user is prompted to to click on a link which takes them to a page with a green ‘CONTINUE’ button.
Should the user click the ‘CONTINUE’ button without reading the fine print beneath, they will be charged R7 a day.
Technically, it is legal for WASP providers to do this as they disclose the added fees in fine print under the ‘CONTINUE’ button.
However, millions of these SMS messages are sent with the WASP counting on users not reading the small print, thus providing a steady stream of income for the service provider.
The Zululand Observer and its sister publication, the South Coast Herald had been inundated with BBM messages regarding the hoax.
Never update WhatsApp by following a link in a message.
