In certain cases, WhatsApp now asks you to present your cell phone contract or phone bill. The demand has a serious background.
So far, a simple email was enough to block a WhatsApp account. (Source: rafapress / depositphotos.com)
Messenger WhatsApp offers you the option of having your account blocked if you have lost your cell phone or it has been stolen. So far, it was enough to send an e-mail to the messenger support with the relevant telephone number. There has not yet been any further verification as to whether the account really belongs to you. Security researcher Jake Moore therefore managed to block two test accounts with a short email.
Then struck Moore alerted on Twitter and drew attention to the security gap in the process. His tweet was viewed over a million times in just a few days. Reason enough for the messenger to react.
Phone bill serves as proof of account ownership If you want to block a WhatsApp account, you now have to present your phone bill. (Source: Twitter/baruch brog)
Like a user in one comment on Moore’s tweet, WhatsApp has now suspended the practice described above. Anyone who reports to support with a request to block an account will be asked to send in receipts proving that the phone number belongs to the applicant. This can be a copy of the contract or a phone bill.
Of course, the process currently used by WhatsApp does not yet offer 100% protection against misuse. However, it is significantly safer than previous practice. It should also be noted that a correspondingly blocked account can easily be restored. All you have to do is enter your WhatsApp number again on the respective phone and request a verification code.
WhatsApp has not only improved the process for blocking an account, the messenger has recently also offered the option of writing to any number via the app without having to save the contact. In addition, since mid-July there has been an official WhatsApp app for selected smartwatches for the first time.
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