Beware of WhatsApp Pink Scam and how to uninstall it

A WhatsApp forward with a link to a pink theme version of the app seems to be making the rounds on the popular instant messaging platform. Dubbed ‘WhatsApp Pink’, the message suggests that a new official version of WhatsApp with a pink theme and new features is now available for download.

Scammers have been seen are luring unsuspected users by making them install a pink-themed version of WhatsApp called ‘WhatsApp Pink’. Here’s how to stay safe from such scams and uninstall the app.

While it does change the app’s theme to pink, ‘WhatsApp Pink’ is a malicious app that can steal your data like banking details, OTPs, photos and contacts.

As it turns out, the ‘WhatsApp Pink Scam’ is not new and was unearthed by internet security researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia in April 2021. Earlier this month, the Mumbai Police Cyber Crime Wing also shared a tweet alerting users about the same and shared guidelines on how to stay safe from such scams.

How to stay safe from WhatsApp Pink-like scams?

If you want to protect yourself from such scams, make sure to only download and install apps from trusted sources like Google Play Store. iPhone users, however, do not need to worry since Apple does not allow applications to be installed from unknown sources

Also, refrain from installing apps from unknown websites or APKs sent by unknown people. The ‘Forwarded’ label on WhatsApp can also come in handy to determine if your friend is the one who forwarded the message or if it came from somewhere else.

Here’s how to uninstall WhatsApp Pink

To get rid of WhatsApp Pink, unlink all suspicious devices from the ‘Linked devices’ section in WhatsApp. The security researcher reported that once you install WhatsApp Pink, the app might hide itself from the list of installed apps.

If you want to find it, head over to the ‘Apps’ section from your phone settings app, find ‘WhatsApp Pink’  with the pink logo and hit the uninstall button. Sometimes, malicious apps have no name in the app list, so make sure you uninstall them as well.