 Well, if you have got an invite to upgrade your green and boring WhatsApp to a Gold and sophisticated one, sadly you have been tricked. And, if you haven't, beware, you might be next in line. For people wondering what WhatsApp Gold exactly is, here's a detailed breakdown about the same. 1) Branded as an 'exclusive version' Since exclusivity always sells more, the app has been branded as an 'exclusive version' of the original app. According to the messages received by various current WhatsApp users, 'WhatsApp Gold' will not be available to all WhatsApp users and can only be installed via an invitation. 2) Users have to click on a website to get the Gold version Once a user receives an invitation for the Gold version upgrade, they're asked to visit the website, www.goldenversion.com, and click on the link given for the Gold version to download their App. 3) Celebrity App for celebrity users The invite for the app claims that 'WhatsApp Gold' is to be used by only 'big celebrities'. Further, it also boosts about the extra features that the Gold version comes with. The extra themes apparently include ability to change and choose WhatsApp themes, send 100 images all at once as compared to the current 10 images limit, free calling, video calling ang much more. 4) Hacker's Day Out According to tech experts, the invite is a way by which hackers are stealing your phone data and keeping a close track of all your movements. Once you click on the website given and start downloading the program, the website will end up infecting your precious phone with malware, which will possibly lead to hackers stealing your important data and tracking all your activity and movements. 5) Previous Scams Involving WhatsApp Does the name, WhatsApp Plus, ring a bell? Yes, it is the same royal blue colour version that was doing rounds of the social media a few years ago. This was another WhatsApp related scam that garnered major eyeballs prior to WhatsApp Gold. Such has been the frequency and the level of these scams that WhatsApp has even included a special disclaimer about these in its FAQ section. Warning about the WhatsApp Plus App, the company came forward with the following warning for its loyal users. "WhatsApp Plus is an application that was not developed by WhatsApp, nor is it authorized by WhatsApp." "The developers of WhatsApp Plus have no relationship to WhatsApp, and we do not support WhatsApp Plus. Please be aware that WhatsApp Plus contains source code which WhatsApp cannot guarantee as safe and that your private information is potentially being passed to 3rd parties without your knowledge or authorisation." 6) WhatsApp policy on upgrades In order to make the users aware about such scams, WhatsApp has even made an effort to let WhatsApp users know about its Upgradation policy notifications in detail. According to it, the app will never send its users a text message to upgrade or download another app, in fact, it will only communicate them any Upgradation notification over official points of contact like sending an email on their registered email ids etc. |
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