‘Whatsapp Business’ app tricking people into downloading fake version of messenger

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A fake version of the upcoming WhatsApp Business app is available to download from the Play store.

The app, which has been developed by an outfit calling itself “Whasp. Business Inc.”, has a surprisingly high rating, despite users describing it as a “fraud app” and “data theft”.

One user has also complained about being unable to login to it, with another saying it’s full of ads.

It was flagged up by Twitter user @MujtabaMHaq and WABetaInfo, and multiple users say they’ve reported it to Google.

While there are lots of fake versions of WhatsApp on Google Play, this rip-off is particularly troublesome, as it’s masquerading as a hotly anticipated new WhatsApp app that’s currently only available for an exclusive group of testers.

As the official version of WhatsApp Business is yet to launch, and the fake version ranks very highly for the search term “WhatsApp Business” in the Play store, users can be forgiven for simply assuming that the fake app is the real deal.

At the time of writing it’s still available to download.

However, its developers appear to have now changed its name from “Whatsapp Business” to “Update Whatsapp”.

The real WhatsApp Business app, which is expected to launch in the near future, is designed to make it easier for businesses and regular users to communicate.

People will be able to place orders through WhatsApp, and even receive updates from companies on it.

It will also be compatible with landline numbers.