Hoax messages have been circulating recently, suggesting the free messaging apps WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger will soon start charging.
WhatsApp itself has said, since the start of last year, it will not charge its customers, and Facebook relies on keeping its service free to users.
If you have received one of these messages, delete it and ignore it instead of passing it on, experts have warned.
There doesn't seem to be any danger to those participating in the hoax, except for wasting their time.
With more than 1 billion monthly users, WhatsApp provides a precious service to people all over the world, keeping them in touch with friends and family.
While Facebook Messenger has a similar reach of around 1 billion users each month, this huge reach of users also comes a huge potential for cyber criminals to attack customers and steal personal information.
The most recent of these scams is a message that says Facebook is going to become chargeable.
The message reads: 'From Saturday morning facebook will become chargeable. If you have at least 10 contacts send them this message. In this way we will see that you are an avid user and your logo will become blue and will remain free.
'As discussed in the paper today. Facebook will cost 0.01ps per message. Send this message to 10 people. When you do the light will turn blue otherwise facebook will activate billing.'
This is not the case, as Facebook's business model relies on keeping its service free to customers, and being paid by advertisers.
The same message is being sent around with the word WhatsApp replaced for the word Facebook, but otherwise the same.
The messaging app became a free service to all users in January last year, and the company has said it will stay free forever.
Scans like this circulate the internet suggest the service will start charging, unless users forward the message to ten contacts, for example.
Others say your account is about to expire and you must click a link to pay money to renew it.
'Since the beginning of 2016, WhatsApp has stopped charging its users for subscription fees,' Malwarebytes malware intelligence analyst Jovi Umawing said in a blog post.
'We always advise you to block the sender, disregard the message and delete it,' the company says.
WhatsApp scams can come in various forms, some of them pronounce themselves as public service announcements while others are more malicious, and masquerade as official messages from the company itself.
But knowing what the most common scams are could help you avoid being targeted.
'These WhatsApp scams have been actively circling for some time,' a spokesman from Kaspersky Lab told MailOnline.
'They are so advanced that they can 'speak' several languages so the attacks can be customised for each market.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4091874/Will-WhatsApp-Fac...
WhatsApp itself has said, since the start of last year, it will not charge its customers, and Facebook relies on keeping its service free to users.
If you have received one of these messages, delete it and ignore it instead of passing it on, experts have warned.
There doesn't seem to be any danger to those participating in the hoax, except for wasting their time.
With more than 1 billion monthly users, WhatsApp provides a precious service to people all over the world, keeping them in touch with friends and family.
While Facebook Messenger has a similar reach of around 1 billion users each month, this huge reach of users also comes a huge potential for cyber criminals to attack customers and steal personal information.
The most recent of these scams is a message that says Facebook is going to become chargeable.
The message reads: 'From Saturday morning facebook will become chargeable. If you have at least 10 contacts send them this message. In this way we will see that you are an avid user and your logo will become blue and will remain free.
'As discussed in the paper today. Facebook will cost 0.01ps per message. Send this message to 10 people. When you do the light will turn blue otherwise facebook will activate billing.'
This is not the case, as Facebook's business model relies on keeping its service free to customers, and being paid by advertisers.
The same message is being sent around with the word WhatsApp replaced for the word Facebook, but otherwise the same.
The messaging app became a free service to all users in January last year, and the company has said it will stay free forever.
Scans like this circulate the internet suggest the service will start charging, unless users forward the message to ten contacts, for example.
Others say your account is about to expire and you must click a link to pay money to renew it.
'Since the beginning of 2016, WhatsApp has stopped charging its users for subscription fees,' Malwarebytes malware intelligence analyst Jovi Umawing said in a blog post.
'We always advise you to block the sender, disregard the message and delete it,' the company says.
WhatsApp scams can come in various forms, some of them pronounce themselves as public service announcements while others are more malicious, and masquerade as official messages from the company itself.
But knowing what the most common scams are could help you avoid being targeted.
'These WhatsApp scams have been actively circling for some time,' a spokesman from Kaspersky Lab told MailOnline.
'They are so advanced that they can 'speak' several languages so the attacks can be customised for each market.'