A very discreet fraud called “ghost matching” traps the most cautious among us. How to spot this scam before it takes over your conversations.
For many of us, WhatsApp has become indispensable. This is where family life is organized, work documents are exchanged and personal photos are shared. Because the app keeps telling us that our conversations are “encrypted” and private, we tend to trust it blindly. We click, we respond and we share without much thought, thinking we are completely safe. Unfortunately, it is precisely this habit of responding quickly and unsuspectingly that some malicious people seek to exploit today.
The scam is often very discreet and does not look like a usual hack. It usually starts with a message from a friend, colleague or family member. The text is simple and arouses curiosity, such as: “Is that you in this photo?” or “Did you see that?“. Confidently, you click on the attached file or link. Unknowingly, this action allows a third party to connect to your account remotely. This is called “ghost pairing”: a stranger accesses your WhatsApp from their own computer, as if looking over your shoulder.
Signs of this intrusion may be difficult to spot at first. You might notice that some messages appear as “read” even though you haven’t opened them, or that conversations have been archived without you having done so. In more embarrassing cases, your loved ones may receive strange responses from your number, or files sent without your knowledge. The intruder’s goal is often to use your identity to trap other people in your directory, creating an endless chain.
Fortunately, it is very easy to regain control and protect yourself. Make it a habit to regularly check the “Connected devices” section in your app settings. If you see an unknown device there (such as a computer or web browser that you are not using), disconnect it immediately by tapping on it. For added peace of mind, activate “two-step verification” in the account settings: this adds a secret code that only you know, making access to your account almost impossible for an outside person.
