Q: What is the WhatsApp device linking warning and how does it protect my account? A: The WhatsApp device linking warning alerts you when behavioral signals suggest a linking request might be suspicious and shows where the request is coming from. This gives you a chance to pause and reconsider before linking your account to another device, helping prevent scammers from taking control of your WhatsApp. Q: How does a typical device-linking scam work? A: Scammers try to trick you into sharing your phone number and a linking code or ask you to scan a QR code under false pretenses like “verification,” “support,” or a prize, which would link your account to their device. The WhatsApp device linking warning is designed to flag these risky requests so you can avoid entering codes or scanning unknown QR codes. Q: What should I do immediately if I see a WhatsApp device linking warning? A: When you see the WhatsApp device linking warning, tap away from the request and do not share any linking code or scan a QR someone sent you. Review your Linked Devices inside WhatsApp, remove any device you do not recognize, and turn on two-step verification to add a PIN to your account. Q: How can I report or block someone who asked me for a linking code? A: Report the chat or number that asked for the code and consider blocking the contact to stop further messages. Reporting helps Meta detect and remove malicious accounts more quickly. Q: What warnings does Facebook show for suspicious friend requests? A: Facebook tests alerts when a request shows signs of suspicious activity, such as having few mutual friends or indicating a different country location in the profile. These warnings help you decide whether to ignore, block, or report the request before connecting. Q: How does Messenger’s advanced scam detection and AI review work? A: Messenger can warn you if a chat with a new contact contains patterns of common scams like suspicious job offers and will ask if you’d like to share recent messages for an AI scam review. If the system detects a potential scam, it provides information on common scams and suggests actions like blocking or reporting the account. Q: How is Meta using AI to stop impersonation and deceptive links? A: Meta’s advanced AI analyzes text, images, and surrounding context to detect fake profiles, misleading bios, and off-platform links that mimic legitimate sites. This helps identify celeb-bait, brand impersonation, and domain spoofing at scale to reduce exposure to these scams. Q: What broader measures has Meta taken to combat scams beyond app warnings? A: Meta removed over 159 million scam ads in 2025, taking down 92% of them before anyone reported them, and in India banned more than 12.1 million pieces of ad content with over 93% removed proactively. It also removed 10.9 million accounts tied to criminal scam centers, participated in joint law enforcement operations that disabled over 150,000 accounts, expanded advertiser verification, and launched public education efforts like the Scam se Bacho campaign with I4C and SEBI.