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Mumbai Man Expresses His Hatred For WhatsApp Voice Notes, Internet Divided
The screenshot showed that Mr Lamba's friend had sent him a brief two-second voice message
Vedant Lamba, an entrepreneur from Mumbai, voiced his strong dislike for WhatsApp voice messages in a post on X after receiving one from a friend. His post sparked an online conversation during which he shared a screenshot of their WhatsApp chat.
The screenshot showed that Mr Lamba's friend had sent him a brief two-second voice message. While at dinner, Vedant responded expressing his aversion to voice messages and requested his friend not to send them to him in the future.
Sharing the screenshot on X, Mr Lamba asked his followers, "Am I the only one."
See the post here:
The viral post has ignited a discussion about the trade-off between the convenience of voice notes and their potential to be irritating.
Since its online sharing, his post has gone viral, accumulating over 500,900 views on X. Additionally, in another post, he shared a screenshot of the same conversation along with his friend's response.
A user wrote, "Voice notes are horrendous. You're inconveniencing me, possibly making me physically move myself to a different room, or put on earphones, etc. So, I can listen to YOU talk. Just text me, is it really that hard."
"I hate voice notes. WhatsApp, can you please come up with a voice notes transcription feature? Apple does that in iMessage and with voicemail too. Need it on WhatsApp, too," another user wrote.
Another internet section said WhatsApp voice notes are "gorgeous". "Hold the phone to your ear, like you do on a phone call, and the voice message will be played on the ear speaker," a user wrote. Click for more trending newsCatfish Nation: Hundreds Targeted In Same Sexual WhatsApp Scam As Law 'Struggles To Keep Up' With Phenomenon
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Hundreds of people including celebrities were catfished by someone with apparent knowledge of their private lives trying to obtain potentially compromising pictures and other digital material, a Byline Times investigation can reveal.
The many victims include at least two television personalities who have described being targeted in a manner similar to the 'honeypot' scandal currently rocking Westminster around admissions by the Conservative MP William Wragg that he passed on personal numbers of other MPs to someone he met on a dating app. This newspaper is not directly connecting the two scams.
A journalist and a presenter, who have both asked not to be identified, were targeted through WhatsApp messages from an unknown number in which the scammer claimed to be a close friend who had damaged their phone while appearing to possess knowledge of the men's lives, which was used in an attempt to obtain sensitive information.
The two are speaking out as police launch an investigation into the targeting of up to two dozen men working in Westminster, including several MPs and journalists, in a similar sting.
One of the victims, a TV host, told Byline Times: "It was a really unnerving experience. Realising that someone has been targeting you maliciously is horrible. It makes you question so much, and suspect people close to you. It is disgusting behaviour with a huge human impact. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."
It comes nine months after Byline Times reported how the now-disgraced former TV host and journalist Dan Wootton used various online pseudonyms to catfish sexually explicit material from friends, colleagues and celebrities via text, social media, and emails over at least a 10-year period. There is no suggestion that Mr Wootton is connected to these new incidents.
William Wragg resigned the Conservative whip after admitting to giving out colleagues' personal phone numbers to someone he had met on a dating app. Photo: NurPhoto SRL/Alamy Number Ending 7415 While the prevalence of sexual catfishing is increasingly widespread, according to one eminent sexual offences lawyer, the law – which does not list the act of catfishing itself as illegal, and instead relies upon crimes being committed through catfishing, such as harassment or obtaining by deception – is struggling to keep pace.
Dino Nocivelli, partner at law firm Leigh Day, said: "The harms from catfishing are increasingly well known and yet the criminal law does not seem to have caught up with this issue.
"The impact of catfishing, especially where it then results in sexual images being obtained by deceit, is very serious and could cause lasting trust and relationship issues."
The phone number used in the scam – which ends in the four digits 7415 – has been prolific in its use for catfishing over the past five years. In that period the number has been searched 3,622 times on the online telephone number searching directory "Who Called" by people trying to find out who it belongs to.
Around 60 people – among them several young men at performing arts colleges – have left messages on the site warning of the nefarious sexual motives behind the number's use.
The fact that Conservative leadership candidates are gathering and sharing dirt on each other has serious implications for national security and democracy
One of the conspiracy's victims, a TV journalist who is engaged to a woman, contacted Byline Times after reading our three-year Wootton investigation, which launched last July.
He told how he was approached last September by someone purporting to be one of his oldest 'female friends', who claimed her phone was damaged, told the man that her relationship was struggling and asked for advice.
The journalist said the scammer made comments about his relationship with his fiancee which only someone who personally knew either him or his partner would have known, and encouraged him to divulge personal information about their own sex life.
He said: "This friend of mine is the only person I would have such a conversation with because she's like a sister to me. The person who was doing this appeared to have known that, which suggests the person behind it knew me. It was so sophisticated."
Westminster MPs and journalists targeted by a sexual catfisher by the names "Abi" and "Charlie" have made similar allegations about the "sophisticated" ruse, including the knowledge of their lives supposedly possessed by their scammer.
The journalist became suspicious when the person posing as his female 'friend' – who, it turned out, had no clue about the interaction – requested a 'threesome' with him and his girlfriend, claiming they were 'testing' how strong their relationship was.
He added: "It was so fucked up. We have considered going to the police, but would they do anything about it? Technically none of it is a crime but I felt violated. Catfishing with a malicious or sexual motive like this should be made a crime in and of itself."
When another victim – a TV presenter who approached Byline Times after the Wootton expose – was targeted, the catfish impersonated him in messages to one of his friends.
Dan Evans and Tom Latchem
Claiming the victim's usual phone was broken, the catfish tried to obtain information about the sexuality of celebrities who worked with the victim, while peppering the conversation with seemingly insider knowledge of the victim's work life.
The presenter said: "It felt, from what they said to my friend, very much like this scammer knew me. Thankfully they didn't get anything from my friend, but it was very unnerving and made me question lots of people I knew, which wasn't pleasant. This sort of thing really should be a police matter."
Previous WarningsThe 58 user warnings on the "Who Called" website all paint a similar picture, with many victims saying the scammer had pretended to be a friend or relative messaging on a different number as they had broken their phone, before the conversation became sexual.
The most recent warning comment, six months ago, said: "Known catfish with sexual motives."
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Another, a year ago, wrote: "Very convincing catfish! Knew all about me and my life history. Has since been sharing my nudes around my workplace!!!!!!! No idea how they get all this information. Scary as F**K!!!"
One, two years ago, read: "Caller claimed to be a friend of mine, soon became sexual, saying weird stuff. I cannot see a motive other than emotional harm to a victim or sexual gratification. He needs to be stopped."
Dozens of victims called for the police to investigate. As long as five years ago, one said "Police need to get involved", while another added, "this needs to get escalated to police".
Several victims alleged that the con artist had pretended to be "well-known soap actors", with one saying they'd claimed to be EastEnders actress Barbara Smith, who played Dana Monroe from 2021 to 2022.
One victim said two years ago: "Pretending to be Barbara Smith who is an actor in EastEnders. Very convincing catfish and very, very scary. DO NOT RESPOND." There is no suggestion Ms Smith is even aware her identity is being used in this way.
*If you've ever fallen victim to a catfishing attempt on a number which ends in the four digits 7415, please contact Byline Times in complete confidence at info@bylinetimes.Com.
What is the Current Law on Catfishing?Catfishing is not currently an offence in its own right.
Internet law specialist solicitors Cohen Davis explained that with the exception of harassment, "there are no criminal laws against impersonation on social media".
A 2014 review of social media and the law by the Lords Communications Committee concluded that existing laws were enough to prosecute criminal offences committed over social media.
But "while fake online profiles on social media might not by themselves be illegal", Cohen Davis added, "there are other activities that engage catfishing or fake online accounts that may turn otherwise lawful activity into activity which is unlawful".
Catfishing "might be illegal" if the fraudster obtained money or goods "due to the fraud", they added.
A catfish could also be charged "with a number of non-consensual sex-related criminal offences" if "romance fraud had led to sexual contact", because "any consent given by the victim to the contact could be rendered void", according to the firm.
And if a victim has shared private information, they "may pursue a claim for breach of privacy against the fraudster in the civil courts".
When asked whether it intended to make catfishing a criminal offence, a spokesperson for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology told Byline Times: "The Online Safety Act will crack down on catfishing by giving people greater control over their online experience, requiring platforms to give adults the ability to restrict unverified accounts being able to interact with them.
"The Act will ensure tech companies take proactive action to stop criminals from using their platforms to commit fraud or other kinds of offences through catfishing or will risk facing fines that could reach billions of pounds."
How To Spot Phishing And WhatsApp Scams
Police have launched an inquiry into a highly-targeted phishing attack directed against several MPs over the course of 14 months.
The Metropolitan Police said on Friday it was assessing reports of a parliamentary honeytrap sexting scam after Conservative MP William Wragg reportedly said he was blackmailed into sharing his colleagues' phone numbers for fear of intimate images of him being leaked.
The claims have shown that many people are exposed to scams as fraudsters become more sophisticated in their attacks. In some cases, successful criminals are stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds in just a single intrusion. On Thursday, Uswitch revealed that Brits lost on average £1,212 million to credit card fraud in 2022 and £422 million in the first three months of 2024 to fraudsters overall.
Yahoo News spoke to Javvad Malik, lead security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, on why the risks of such phishing attacks are growing, thanks to technologies such as generative AI, which enable criminals to launch attacks even if English is not their native language.
William Wragg has reportedly admitted sharing details of colleagues' phone numbers. (Photo by Jonathan Nicholson/NurPhoto)
The 'spear-phishing' attacks against MPs (where the attacks are tailored to a specific victim) were delivered via WhatsApp messages in what experts have suggested could be an attempt to compromise Parliament - and WhatsApp is increasingly used to target phishing victims.
Spear-phishing attacks are often directed against business people, but anyone can fall victim to phishing, with attackers growing ever more sophisticated and attacking via SMS (smishing) voicemail (vishing) and even using AI-generated voice 'clones' of people.
Here are Malik's tips on how to avoid falling victim to sophisticated phishing attacks. He also advises enabling two-factor authentication on all accounts to avoid criminals taking over social media, email and banking accounts.
Watch out for 'urgent' communicationsBe particularly wary of messages that create a sense of urgency or pressure you to act within a short timeframe, Malik says.
Malik says: "Scammers often use this tactic to make you feel anxious and more likely to make a hasty decision. Remember, legitimate organisations will rarely ask you to take immediate action without proper verification."
Be wary on WhatsAppScammers are increasingly using this platform to target individuals, so it's crucial to apply the same level of scrutiny as you would with other forms of communication, Malik says.
Attackers on WhatsApp often pose as recruiters, or offer investment deals.
Malik says: "On WhatsApp, be cautious of messages that come from unknown contacts or that contain suspicious links or requests. In particular, do not share any codes that may appear on WhatsApp as these are often used to take control of WhatsApp accounts by criminals."
Javvad Malik, lead security awareness advocate at KnowBe4
Watch for the unexpectedScammers often rely on the element of surprise to catch you off guard, hoping that you'll let your defences down.
Malik says: "If you receive a message from an unknown sender or a communication that you weren't anticipating, treat it with a healthy dose of scepticism.
"Another red flag to watch out for is when a message asks you to do something outside of your normal routine. This could include sharing confidential data, clicking on a suspicious link, downloading an unfamiliar attachment, or purchasing some gift cards. If the request seems unusual or makes you feel uncomfortable, it's best to err on the side of caution."
Listen to your instinctIf something looks off, it probably is, says Malik.
While scammers can craft very convincing attacks (with apps such as ChatGPT meaning that poor spelling and English are no longer a warning sign of phishing attacks), there are often warning signs.
"Always double-check the sender's email address or phone number," says Malik. "Scammers often use slightly altered or spoofed addresses to make their messages appear genuine.
'When it comes to links, hover over them with your cursor before clicking to see where they actually lead. If the destination seems suspicious or unrelated to the supposed sender, do not click on it. This applies to links in emails, SMS messages, and even those shared on WhatsApp.'
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