Sending these types of common messages on WhatsApp could land users with a fine
Be careful with what you say on WhatsApp as it could land you in some hot water, facing a huge bill or even legal action.
It’s the most used messaging app globally and as of this year, it has over two billion users worldwide.
However, there are some serious and important rules that you need to follow if you want to use the app.
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In a warning to users, mint.com has revealed that people could be breaking copyright law if they share copyrighted content over WhatsApp.
If the creator of the content ever found out, then the user could end up being forced to fork out for damages if a complaint is filed.
This sort of content can include things like memes and videos.
Not only that, but reportedly, if you send out messages in bulk to a high amount of people, you could get banned from WhatsApp altogether.
This means no sending the same message to a large amount of people as the app warns your account could face the chop.
Other rules you absolutely need to adhere to include no impersonating other people on the app or extracting personal information from others.
If you get reported, your account could be suspended.
If you do end up getting banned, you’ll know because this message will appear when trying to access WhatsApp, “your phone number is banned from using WhatsApp. Contact support for help.”
On the app’s website, it says: “Please keep in mind, we might not issue a warning before banning your account. If you think your account was banned by mistake, please email us and we'll look into your case.”
So be careful how you use WhatsApp, as it revealed that it will ban accounts “if we believe the account activity violates our Terms of Service.”
It seems that these rules have gotten some people into a bind as users took to Reddit to share their experiences.
One person wrote: “I got my WhatsApp account permanently banned for absolutely no reason.
“Only thing I was doing was inviting family and friends for my baby daughter’s birthday, they locked my account saying I’m a spam account.
“I have a WhatsApp account for years and this has never happened.WhatsApp is the only way for me to talk to my family once some of them live in another country.
“What can I do to get my account back?”
However, it didn’t seem like anyone knew how to help as another user added: “Yeah no one really knows how to revive the account back. Countless of threads were made here.”