''Block And Report'': WhatsApp Responds To Complaints Over International Calls

With over two billion monthly active users, WhatsApp has become a popular platform for scammers to dupe people. Of late, many WhatsApp users in India have reported receiving missed calls from unknown international numbers. These calls, both audio and video, often originate from countries like Malaysia, Kenya, and Vietnam, Ethiopia as indicated by the ISD codes given. There is no information on who these callers are and what their agendas are.

Several users have been taking screenshots of their call records and flooding Twitter with their complaints and grievances.

WhatsApp Issues Statement

Responding to the concerns, WhatsApp issued a statement and advised users to immediately block and report suspicious accounts so that required action can be taken.

''At WhatsApp, the safety of our users is at the core of everything we do and we have devoted efforts to empower users with resources and tools that equip them to safeguard themselves from scams. WhatsApp is an industry leader in preventing abuse, among end-to-end encrypted messaging services and over the years we have made significant product investments and launched user awareness campaigns that empower users to stay safe. Blocking and Reporting suspicious messages/ calls is an important step to effectively combat scams and when users receive calls from unknown international or domestic phone numbers.'' WhatsApp said in a statement to NDTV.

Users have also been advised to take advantage of the app's privacy controls and keep personal details visible to only their contacts to help safeguard their accounts. 

''Additionally, we have consistently invested in Artificial Intelligence and other state-of-the-art technology, data scientists and experts, and in processes, in order to keep our users safe on our platform. Our monthly user safety report that we publish in accordance with the IT Rules 2021, contains details of the user complaints received and the corresponding action taken by WhatsApp, as well as WhatsApp's own preventive actions to combat abuse on our platform. As captured in the latest Monthly Report, WhatsApp banned over 4.7 million accounts in the month of March alone,'' the statement added.

The company also stated that it has launched a safety campaign "Stay safe with WhatsApp" to educate users about its in-built product features and safety tools like Two-Step Verification, Block and Report, and Privacy controls, as safeguards to help protect users from online scams, frauds, and account compromising threats.

How to Block A Number On WhatsApp

1. To block a number on WhatsApp, users first need to open a chat with the contact
2. Next, click on the three dots next to the call option
3. Tap More, and Block the number

Blocked contacts will no longer be able to call you or send you messages. Your last seen, online, status updates, and any changes made to your profile photo will no longer be visible to contacts you've blocked.