If you’re anything like me you’ve got WhatsApp to thank for a drastic reduction in the amount of unwanted conversations you have to field.

Of course that’s not all it’s good for, it’s also great for group chats where you share the latest ridiculous Instagram antics of people you kind of know (HERE).

Then there are the scam artists who have become rather crafty, and their latest scam is managing to dupe a few unsuspecting users. It’s called the WhatsApp Gold scam, and you definitely don’t want to fall into its trap.

Below from The South African:

WhatsApp users have reported receiving messages urging them to sign up for the service via the WhatsApp Gold website which is linked to in the message.

The message claims that the app has extra features and that this version of WhatsApp was previously only available to “top celebrities”. The scam message says ability to send hundreds of pictures at once, new emojis, video calling, enhanced security features and more customisation options.

But it’s all a lie. Downloading the app will infect your phone with malware and could allow cybercriminals to steal your data.

There’s been a spate of WhatsApp Gold messages recently, but the scam has existed in different forms for a while, sometimes under the name ‘WhatsApp Plus’.

Here’s what you’ll be looking at:

The fact that WhatsApp is written incorrectly should be a telltale sign, but then again the temptation of living large like a celeb seems to be clouding people’s judgement.

If you don’t mind we’ll call this the Fool’s Gold scam – consider yourself warned.

[source:thesouthafrican]