Whatsapp.com is real but шһатѕарр.com is not real and is just a link that installs adware in your device. This comes as the world is still reeling from the effects of WannaCry; the ransomware that wreaked havoc over the weekend in about 150 countries. Reddit users u/yuexist first spotted this and as they put it, the site prompts you to install WhatsApp in colours other than the traditional green interface and once you do that, you will be asked to share it with your friends who will receive a message saying “I love the new colors for whatsapp’ with a fake URL.
It doesn’t end there as it then tells you to use the new “colourful” WhatsApp on desktop by installing a Chrome extension called BlackWhats.
While you may be saying “how the hell would someone continue following these weird steps?”, its clear from the number of users that not everyone can spot things like this easily. The extension now has over 16,000 users and ratings but seeing as the comments are few, maybe those 55 ratings are fake too.
While Google may soon shut the adware down, please be careful how you click on links you don’t trust.
Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.
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