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Due to WhatsApp for Business, my inbox is constantly flooded with spam and scams. Companies register hundreds of numbers, and no matter how many I block, they a

Due to WhatsApp for Business, my inbox is constantly flooded with spam and scams. Companies register hundreds of numbers, and no matter how many I block, they always find new ones to message me. The worst part is that reporting and blocking seem completely ineffective on WhatsApp.

paxys 2y ago
You can choose to not let unknown numbers message you. I have no idea why that isn't the default.
- bittwiddle 2y ago
  While great for a personal Whatsapp, this kind of defeats the point of using it for a business.
  - thisissomething 2y ago
    I believe he meant that you (personal account) can use this feature to protect yourself from scam companies using Whatsapp Business to "cold call" you
  - HeyLaughingBoy 2y ago
    Not really. Many businesses have a fixed set of customers that changes very infrequently. e.g., many wholesalers may only have a small handful of customers that they sell to.
- kburman 2y ago
  "Only if they exceed a certain volume." Who knows what's that certain volume? And why can't I block all?
  - paxys 2y ago
    What are you talking about?
    - kburman 2y ago
      https://faq.whatsapp.com/3379690015658337/?cms_platform=web&locale=en_US https://faq.whatsapp.com/3379690015658337/?cms_platform=web&... > If Block unknown account messages is turned on, WhatsApp will block messages from unknown accounts when they exceed a high volume. During this period, your contacts can message you as usual. Message blocking stops after message rates return to normal.
      - manquer 2y ago
        This kind of product design of opt out instead of opt in and non transparent processes is why I refuse to use these apps. I could even live with their dumb default choices, if they had Open official APIs to consumers, for third party services to offer these kind of add on blocks A small subset of users who really care will use it like ad blockers and they will only loose marginal revenue, and there would be uneasy truce where user freedom and business profit could both live, but they want to squeeze every last bit of money from their users . We are basically asked to bring a knife to a nuclear fight an against an endless army. Why bother?
crossroadsguy 2y ago
I mean I would find it incredibly hard to believe if Meta pulls a "but what can we do" since they approve all those numbers for a business with a green fucking checkmark. Since it's mostly a paid service they encourage that is what I believe.
h4ck_th3_pl4n3t 2y ago
Do the following: - Degoogle your phone and install lineageOS - Install fdroid - Install a GPS faker app that lets you set your coordinates manually - Set coordinates to the European court of justice in den hague - Install whatsapp and telegram ...never receive spam ever again. Easy as pie.
- Tyr42 2y ago
  Man, cutting up all the butter to make our crusts is such a pain. Glad to see the simile being used properly.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 2y ago
    yeah, but the result is pie!
- Cumpiler69 2y ago
  >- Set coordinates to the European court of justice in den hague 1) That's the international court of justice, not European. 2) What does the proximity to ICJ have to do with this? You're tryin to scare spammers, not Georg Bush, Tony Blair or Putin.
  - h4ck_th3_pl4n3t 2y ago
    Maybe try it out because spammers are regionally targeting you and they have geofences in their software? Edit: nevermind, I didn't realize I was talking to "cumpiler69"
    - Cumpiler69 2y ago
      That doesn't answer my question. What's special about the Hague as a geofence? Do you think the international court of justice will spend resources to start going after random people in Russia/India/Uzbekistan because they make scam calls from their mom's basement?
PokemonNoGo 2y ago
Interesting. I didn't even know it existed and I've been on for over a decade and am I heavy user. I'm not defending it because it sounds horrible i only wonder how I've been spared and you not? I would stop using the service instantly if i were you.
- isodev 2y ago
  Consumer protection laws perhaps? For example here in Belgium/EU, it’s illegal to receive ads by phone or mail unless you opted in, with a clear and easy option to unsubscribe.
epolanski 2y ago
I'm on WhatsApp since 14 years and it has never ever happened to me.

paxys 2y ago

You can choose to not let unknown numbers message you. I have no idea why that isn't the default.

bittwiddle 2y ago
While great for a personal Whatsapp, this kind of defeats the point of using it for a business.
- thisissomething 2y ago
  I believe he meant that you (personal account) can use this feature to protect yourself from scam companies using Whatsapp Business to "cold call" you
- HeyLaughingBoy 2y ago
  Not really. Many businesses have a fixed set of customers that changes very infrequently. e.g., many wholesalers may only have a small handful of customers that they sell to.
kburman 2y ago
"Only if they exceed a certain volume." Who knows what's that certain volume? And why can't I block all?
- paxys 2y ago
  What are you talking about?
  - kburman 2y ago
    https://faq.whatsapp.com/3379690015658337/?cms_platform=web&locale=en_US https://faq.whatsapp.com/3379690015658337/?cms_platform=web&... > If Block unknown account messages is turned on, WhatsApp will block messages from unknown accounts when they exceed a high volume. During this period, your contacts can message you as usual. Message blocking stops after message rates return to normal.
    - manquer 2y ago
      This kind of product design of opt out instead of opt in and non transparent processes is why I refuse to use these apps. I could even live with their dumb default choices, if they had Open official APIs to consumers, for third party services to offer these kind of add on blocks A small subset of users who really care will use it like ad blockers and they will only loose marginal revenue, and there would be uneasy truce where user freedom and business profit could both live, but they want to squeeze every last bit of money from their users . We are basically asked to bring a knife to a nuclear fight an against an endless army. Why bother?

crossroadsguy 2y ago

I mean I would find it incredibly hard to believe if Meta pulls a "but what can we do" since they approve all those numbers for a business with a green fucking checkmark. Since it's mostly a paid service they encourage that is what I believe.

h4ck_th3_pl4n3t 2y ago

Do the following: - Degoogle your phone and install lineageOS - Install fdroid - Install a GPS faker app that lets you set your coordinates manually - Set coordinates to the European court of justice in den hague - Install whatsapp and telegram ...never receive spam ever again. Easy as pie.

Tyr42 2y ago
Man, cutting up all the butter to make our crusts is such a pain. Glad to see the simile being used properly.
- HeyLaughingBoy 2y ago
  yeah, but the result is pie!
Cumpiler69 2y ago
>- Set coordinates to the European court of justice in den hague 1) That's the international court of justice, not European. 2) What does the proximity to ICJ have to do with this? You're tryin to scare spammers, not Georg Bush, Tony Blair or Putin.
- h4ck_th3_pl4n3t 2y ago
  Maybe try it out because spammers are regionally targeting you and they have geofences in their software? Edit: nevermind, I didn't realize I was talking to "cumpiler69"
  - Cumpiler69 2y ago
    That doesn't answer my question. What's special about the Hague as a geofence? Do you think the international court of justice will spend resources to start going after random people in Russia/India/Uzbekistan because they make scam calls from their mom's basement?

PokemonNoGo 2y ago

Interesting. I didn't even know it existed and I've been on for over a decade and am I heavy user. I'm not defending it because it sounds horrible i only wonder how I've been spared and you not? I would stop using the service instantly if i were you.

isodev 2y ago
Consumer protection laws perhaps? For example here in Belgium/EU, it’s illegal to receive ads by phone or mail unless you opted in, with a clear and easy option to unsubscribe.

epolanski 2y ago

I'm on WhatsApp since 14 years and it has never ever happened to me.