WhatsApp linked devices

WhatsApp linked devices lets you use one account on other devices. Scammers trick people into linking, to read chats from their own screen.

WhatsApp linked devices: Linked devices is a WhatsApp feature that lets one account run on a computer, tablet or another phone. You link by scanning a QR code or entering a code from your phone. Any linked device can read your chats until you log it out.

People use it for WhatsApp Web at work. Scammers abuse it by sending a QR code or a code and asking you to "verify" something, such as a job, a prize or an account problem. When you scan or enter it, their device becomes linked, and they can read new messages and send messages as you, to your family and friends.

Check it now: open WhatsApp, go to Settings, then Linked devices, and look at the list. Log out of any device you do not recognise. Turn on two-step verification, so that a stranger cannot take over the account by getting an SMS code. Never scan a QR code that someone sends you through a chat or call. It takes under a minute and is worth repeating every few months.

Tips

• Open Linked devices in WhatsApp settings and remove anything you do not recognise.
• Turn on two-step verification with a PIN only you know.
• Never scan a QR or enter a code sent by someone else to "verify" your account.

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