‘Whatsapp Business’ app tricking people into downloading fake version of messenger

Users are describing it as a 'fraud app' and 'data theft'

Aatif Sulleyman
Thursday 02 November 2017 13:27 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A fake version of the upcoming WhatsApp Business app is available to download from the Play store.

The app, which has been developed by an outfit calling itself “Whasp. Business Inc.”, has a surprisingly high rating, despite users describing it as a “fraud app” and “data theft”.

One user has also complained about being unable to login to it, with another saying it’s full of ads.

It was flagged up by Twitter user @MujtabaMHaq and WABetaInfo, and multiple users say they’ve reported it to Google.

While there are lots of fake versions of WhatsApp on Google Play, this rip-off is particularly troublesome, as it’s masquerading as a hotly anticipated new WhatsApp app that’s currently only available for an exclusive group of testers.

As the official version of WhatsApp Business is yet to launch, and the fake version ranks very highly for the search term “WhatsApp Business” in the Play store, users can be forgiven for simply assuming that the fake app is the real deal.

iPhone X: Review with David Phelan

At the time of writing it’s still available to download.

However, its developers appear to have now changed its name from “Whatsapp Business” to “Update Whatsapp”.

The real WhatsApp Business app, which is expected to launch in the near future, is designed to make it easier for businesses and regular users to communicate.

People will be able to place orders through WhatsApp, and even receive updates from companies on it.

It will also be compatible with landline numbers.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in