New WhatsApp* Version Promising No Limits Is a Scam

In Russia, scammers are spreading offers to install an allegedly new version of WhatsApp (owned by Meta—an extremist organization, whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation). As reported by Anton Nemkin, a member of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, the attackers promise that this version works without slowdowns or restrictions.

“Scammers have begun actively spreading online offers to install a «new version» of WhatsApp*, allegedly working without slowdowns or restrictions,” stated the deputy.

Under the pretext of improving communication quality, users are convinced to follow a link and install a third-party application. The parliamentarian called this a classic example of social engineering, designed to exploit people«s anxiety.

Nemkin emphasized that official messenger updates are distributed only through legal app stores or built-in update mechanisms. According to him, links to «improved» or «special» versions almost always contain malicious code or spyware.

Installing such programs can lead to the theft of correspondence, access to contacts, interception of SMS and banking codes. The user«s device could become part of a fraudulent infrastructure, and their accounts could become a tool for phishing, the deputy warned in a conversation with TASS.

The scheme is particularly dangerous for less technically prepared users—the elderly and teenagers, who are the target of promises about «stable operation». The deputy named the main rule of digital hygiene as refusing to follow suspicious links, install applications from unverified sources, and having a critical attitude toward promises to «bypass restrictions».

The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) continues to introduce restrictive measures against WhatsApp*. The main reason is that the service does not comply with the requirements of Russian legislation.

Over the past year, attacks on WhatsApp* users have grown 3.5 times, with thousands of accounts hacked. Against the backdrop of blockades and legal uncertainty, experts advise reconsidering the approach to the app, not only as unstable, but also as a potentially risky communication channel.

* Belongs to the Meta corporation—an extremist organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation.