WhatsApp Settings: In today’s time smartphone has become synonymous with WhatsApp. From waking up in the morning to sleeping at night, we use this app for everything from messaging to calling. But now it is not just a tool to talk to loved ones. Cyber thugs have made it their biggest weapon. If you suddenly get a call on your phone screen from a number with Pakistan, Vietnam or any unknown country code, you need to be alert immediately. A small mistake or carelessness on your part can drain your bank account of your lifetime earnings in one fell swoop.
Cyber criminals are now resorting to these platforms to intimidate or outright threaten people. Most of the people think that just picking up an unknown call will be a big loss for them. But the truth is quite the opposite. An unknown call can also leak your phone’s live location into your personal data.
The new web of cyber thugs
Nowadays, people are constantly receiving missed calls or direct video calls from unknown numbers on their phones. Fraudsters wait for someone to receive a call. As soon as he picks up the phone, the person sitting in front of him introduces himself as a police officer, CBI officer or customs officer. After this he starts making false accusations against you. You are informed that a parcel bearing illegal goods has been intercepted in your name. Nowadays it is called digital arrest. In this method, people are kept scared on the phone for hours. The call is not disconnected until the person is completely nervous. After this lakhs of rupees are charged in the name of settling the matter.
Hackers can see your data
Even from a technical point of view, picking up calls from strangers is very risky. When you attend a call from a stranger, a peer-to-peer connection is created between the two phones. Because of this connection, your IP address i.e. Internet location can easily be traced to another person. This IP leak puts your device’s privacy at risk forever. You become a direct target of hackers.
Silence incoming calls from unknown numbers
The easiest way to avoid all this trouble from unknown numbers is right inside your phone. This feature is called Silent Unknown Callers. After turning on this feature, if a number calls you that is not saved in your contact list, your phone will not ring at all. This simply means that no calls from scammers can interrupt your work. Since there is no ring, you will completely avoid picking up any fake calls in a hurry.
Activating this feature is very easy. First open your app. After this go to settings menu. There you will see privacy option, tap on it. Now scroll down the page a bit. Select the Calls option there. Once there you will see the Silent Unknown Callers button. Just turn it on immediately. Now those unknown calls will only appear in your calls tab, but the phone won’t ring at all.
Save location by hiding IP address
With cybersecurity in mind, there is one very important setting that you should change today. It is called Protect IP Address in Calls. Normally when two people talk on this app the data is directly transferred between the two phones. In this peer-to-peer system, cunning hackers can easily get your real IP address using network tools. They also know your exact location.
But as soon as you turn on this special setting, all your calls go through Meta’s highly secure servers first. Its biggest advantage is that the other person never knows about your private network. Your privacy remains fully protected.
To enable this feature you have to go to settings again. Open Privacy. After this click on the advanced option given below. There you will see a toggle for Protect IP addresses in calls. Enable it. By doing this, your phone will be out of reach of hackers. You will be completely protected from all types of digital tracking attacks. You can protect yourself by adopting these two methods.
