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WhatsApp is making it easier to identify and leave suspicious group chats

WhatsApp is making it easier to identify and leave suspicious group chats

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A new ‘context card’ will help users avoid potential scammers trying to add them to a new group message.

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WhatsApp logo on a green, black, and white background
Illustration: The Verge

Soon, when WhatsApp users are added to group chats by someone they don’t know, the group will display a “context card” with key information such as who created the group, when it was created, the group description, and if the user was added by someone in their WhatsApp contact list. The idea of the feature is to better protect users against spam or scam activity in group messages.

There’s also a button to allow users to quickly leave the group message, plus a link to additional information about WhatsApp’s safety tools.

An example image showing the new context card that will be presented when users are added to a group chat on WhatsApp.
The new context card lets WhatsApp users quickly identify red flags when added to a group chat.
Image: Meta

The new feature — which resembles the current experience when WhatsApp users are individually messaged by someone they don’t know — should allow users to avoid chats with people they’d rather steer clear of and more quickly identify if they’ve been added to groups operating scams or engaging in other fraudulent activities.

The group chat context cards have already started rolling out globally and will be available to all users “over the coming weeks,” according to WhatsApp’s press release.