To combat spam, spoofing and phishing on its platform, Whatsapp is now testing Suspicious Link Indicator feature in Android beta version 2.18.204.
The latest update is that, WhatsApp has rolled
out the Suspicious Link Indicator feature to all users on Android beta starting version 2.18.221. WhatsApp beta on Android 2.18.221 has the ability to tag a 'Suspicious Link' whenever a contact sends one to you (first spotted by WABetaInfo). This update is expected to warn unknowing users of a suspicious link before they open it. WhatsApp will also reportedly alert the user once again by looking for unusual characters if they try to open the link. Two options, Open Link and Go Back, will be provided. The suspicious character is highlighted in the dialogue box that appears when you try to open the link.
out the Suspicious Link Indicator feature to all users on Android beta starting version 2.18.221. WhatsApp beta on Android 2.18.221 has the ability to tag a 'Suspicious Link' whenever a contact sends one to you (first spotted by WABetaInfo). This update is expected to warn unknowing users of a suspicious link before they open it. WhatsApp will also reportedly alert the user once again by looking for unusual characters if they try to open the link. Two options, Open Link and Go Back, will be provided. The suspicious character is highlighted in the dialogue box that appears when you try to open the link.
Whatsapp FAQ page says "This indicator may appear when a link contains a combination of characters that is considered unusual. Spammers may use these character combinations to trick you into tapping on links that appear to go to a legitimate website, but actually take you to a malicious site."
