In addition to emails, messages and calls, more and more cybercriminals they use WhatsApp and other instant messaging apps to reach out with them trap messages as many victims as possible. In light of this Half announced that it is working to improve the security of its apps throughintroduction of new tools to help users recognize the most scam-prone situations.
Among these, it was launched at the end of October 2025 a new feature on WhatsAppthe most used messaging app in the world. This tool is about screen sharing and consists of an automatic alert to remind the user that they try to share their screen while on a video call with another user the risks of screen sharingespecially when used with contacts from people we really know and trust. This feature could in fact be exploited by scammers steal personal information of users, even sensitive ones, such as bank details.
The new WhatsApp feature
Meta notified WhatsApp users of the arrival of this new tool through a message sent via chat with WhatsApp, the channel through which Meta updates users on news about the app.
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The message, which we at Fanpage.it also received, is the following:
“New: Share your screen safely with security controls. Protecting you from scams is a priority for us: starting today, when you share your screen with an unknown contact, we’ll send you a warning so you can easily unshare.”
The message is accompanied by a video that simulates ua possible risky situation: a user who is chatting with a number not saved in the address book – which therefore could belong to anyone – receives a message relating to a certain payment and a request to view his screen to help him solve the problem. The pseudo-message used as an example by WhatsApp is this: “The payment could not be verified. Share your screen so that we can help you solve the problem.”
This is it an evidently risky situationbecause the identity of the person we are talking to is neither clear nor certain. It also asks us to share your screen to help us resolve an alleged payment. Scammers use often similar topics to put the potential victim in a state of fear or concern. A famous case is the fine scam that seems to come from pagoPa. In these circumstances it is fundamental do not communicate your datado not click any links or call the number back, much less share your screen.
However, sometimes, in a situation of fear, it may happen that we are not so clear-headed and accept the requests made to us, especially because they seem to want to help us. The new WhatsApp tool is useful precisely in these situations: with the introduction of the new function, when the user clicks ‘Share screen’, WhatsApp blocks the attempt and shows the following warning: “Share your screen only with people you trust. They will be able to see everything you show on the screen, including sensitive information like your banking details.” The warning presents two options: “Continue” and “Cancel”. In essence, therefore, it is a further one security filter which allows the user to better evaluate the possible consequences if he shares his screen with untrusted people.
Meta’s anti-scam strategy
Meta said that this tool fits into a broader strategy to reduce scam attempts implemented on its apps, especially on WhatsApp and Facebook, which are increasingly used by criminals to lure online victims into all kinds of scams. On Fanpage.it we told the story of a boy who started from a message received on WhatsApp ended up in a fake investment scam which in a first phase really pays the victims.
Since the beginning of 2025 – Meta says – the company’s internal security team has in fact detected and blocked it almost 8 million accounts associated with scam centers in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines.
