You’ve just received a message from an unknown number on WhatsApp and you’re left scratching your head as to how this stranger got your number in the first place.
It can be a bit scary that someone you don’t know can have access to your number even though you have only given it to people close to you like your friends and family.
WhatsApp is a huge messaging platform with a lot of users and sometimes one of these users can end up in your inbox.
The platform is end-to-end encrypted so rest assured that your number hasn’t been leaked or anything like that. So how did someone you don’t know even get your number and message you in the first place?
Anyone can message you on WhatsApp provided they have your number. If you’re receiving messages from a stranger then they most likely just have the wrong number.
This can be a common problem as WhatsApp doesn’t require you to have anyone’s number in your contacts list for them to contact.
This means that anyone in the world can message you so don’t be surprised if you receive a random message from unknown numbers.
How Did a Stranger Get My Number on Whatsapp?
There is no magical way for someone to find you on WhatsApp unless they have your number. One way this could happen is that your number was already on their contact list.
One way this is possible is if he/she already has your number from a previous owner.
Depending on how long you have had your number for, there is a good possibility that the previous number owner of your current number knows the person.
So now the stranger that is trying to message you is just trying to contact the previous owner. You should let this person know that they have the wrong number.
You might know this person but you haven’t saved their number under a proper name. This can confuse as don’t know how to identify this person on Whatsapp so it’s always best to save contacts under a proper name.
Another way someone unknown to you may have retrieved your number is through social media like Instagram and Facebook.
If you leave your number on any of these platforms then there’s a good chance someone who has seen this is trying to contact you.
How to Find the Stranger Who Messaged You
WhatsApp works by integrating with the address book on your phone. So in number in your contact will be on Whatsapp.
The only way you can find out who messaged you on your contact list is to use third-party software like Whappsender. This software allows you to find out if the stranger who messaged you is on your contact list. It also allows you to bulk send messages and filter contacts.
Bear in mind, this will only show you if this person is already on your contact list and not their actual identity. Here’s what you’re going to do.
Step 1: Launch Wappsender on your PC.
Step 2: Head over to Fetch Contacts in the menu and click on Fetch all contacts
You are now done. The program will continue to run and a new window will open in which you can scan a QR Code to log out. It will then obtain all the contact on your account. You can now know whether or not this person was in your contacts.
If you decide not to use third-party software then there is pretty much no other way for you to find any of this out. Your user information should be safe with this application.
You can also try and have a look at the profile picture of strangers and see whether or not you recognize them. If they do not have a profile picture then you can ask them to send a picture of themselves or just their name.
Use True Caller
There are other ways you can find out who is behind the random numbers who try to contact you on WhatsApp. Truecaller is a smartphone application that allows you to find the identification details of certain unknown numbers.
When a person sends you a message on Whatsapp, their number will be stored on your phone, you can use this number in the true caller app to try and find out who they are.
You will get the name of this person and other small details including a picture of them if you are lucky. You may also get their email included in this.
From there you can try searching for them on other platforms like Facebook and Instagram to try and get more detail about them.
Searching on linked in can also be a good alternative to find out more formal information about this person. Linkedin can be a great alternative to find more sensitive detail.
You can also try searching their name up on a search portal which may give some interesting results. So if Wappsender doesn’t work try TrueCaller.
How to Stop Unknown Numbers from Messaging you
The best thing you can do in any of these situations is to let this person know that they are trying to message the wrong number.
If they keep on trying to contact you it’s best to block them. Here’s how to block someone on WhatsApp if you have an Android. Here’s how to do it for an iPhone.
- Go onto the chat
- Click the contacts name at the top.
- Scroll down
- Hit Block Contact and tap Block
Another thing you can do is remove your number from anywhere where it’s not meant to be.
For example, if your number is on any social media like Facebook or Instagram then just remove it to save yourself the hassle. If you have put it on there for a reason then it’s to just leave it.
If this issue doesn’t bother you very much then you can go about you’re day. But at least you have a better idea of how they got your contact information in the first place.
WhatsApp also allows you to hide your profile picture, status, and last seen from strangers you don’t know.
This is part of their privacy policy so you can rest assured that someone unknown to you can’t be snooping on you.
You can do all of this by going into Settings > Account > Privacy >My Contacts or Nobody.
Is it Safe to Give Whatsapp Number to Strangers
If you’re wondering whether or not you should give your WhatsApp number to a stranger then I will advise you not to if you don’t want to continue receiving messages from random people.
Remember that your Whatsapp number is the same as your phone number. Giving a random person your number gives them the ability to text you whenever they want to on WhatsApp.
The reason why it isn’t safe to give your number out to random people is that you can gain a lot of information about someone just from their number.
You may not think this but many stalkers use things like numbers to find the area people live in. If you want to avoid this then don’t give it out to just anyone.
The only instance I would advise you to give your number in is if it is not a stranger. Unless you really want to, I would just avoid it in general.
People like work colleagues, friends school friends, or anything like that would be a safe option. I would also avoid giving it to random companies and websites as they can easily get scraped by marketing software.
What To Do if a Stranger Messages You on Whatsapp
The first thing I would do is to find out how they got your number. You should ask them things such as, ‘where did you get my number from?
If they got your number from a way you don’t remember or recognize then I would then try finding out who they are. If you can remember how they got your number then I would consider saving it and catching up with them.
To find out who they are if you don’t know them, ask for a name and any social media platform they’re on. If you manage to get their Instagram you can see what they look like.
If the person doesn’t want to tell you how they found you you can use the methods I spoke about above to find out a little bit more about them. Use Wappsender and if that doesn’t work user true caller.
Once you have concluded this person, I would consider blocking them from Whatsapp as I showed you how to do above.
This is pretty much the only way to stop getting messages from unknown numbers on WhatsApp.
Can Someone Message You if They’re Not in Your Contacts
Someone doesn’t have to be in your contacts for them to text you on WhatsApp. Rember that anyone can message you as long as they have your number.
So if someone isn’t in your phone contacts they can still send you a text on Whatsapp if you don’t block that number.
When someone who is not in your contacts messages you, they will show up as an unknown number on Whatsapp.
You will then get asked whether or not you want to add this person to your contacts or if you want to block that number.
If you don’t want to receive calls or texts from someone you don’t know you can choose to block private and unknown numbers on your phone.
To block an unknown number on iPhone you will have to open the Settings app and scroll all the way down to Phone. Now select the option to silence unknown numbers.
To block unknown numbers on Android phones you will need to open the phone app and tap on the three dots in the top right corner and choose to open settings.
Click on Block numbers. Now hit Block unknown/ hidden numbers to block private and unknown numbers on your phone.
It is still unknown whether or not you can still receive messages from numbers you don’t know on Whatsapp if you have silenced unknown numbers on your phone.
Change Your Number
If you keep constantly getting numbers from strangers and blocking doesn’t seem to stop other people from messaging you, I would consider changing your number.
I know it can be a big thing to change your number as you will have to alert all of your current contacts that you have changed your number which can be a long and tedious process.
But if you really want to stop getting these texts then it will have to be changed. The first thing you will need to do is contact your phone carrier and tell them you want to change your number.
Once you have changed your number remember not to give it to anyone you don’t know. Do not put it on websites you do not trust as marketing companies will acquire it for marketing purposes.
I would consider this option for a while. Give it time, many of you may stop receiving these random messages. If it has been going on for a while then I would encourage it.
Can Someone Still Message You After Being Blocked
Once you have blocked someone. It is pretty much impossible for them to still contact you on that same number.
This is because once a number has been blocked on Whatsapp, there is pretty much no way this number can text or call you on Whatapp again unless they call you using a different number.
If this is done, this is classed as harassment and you may need to report it to Whatsapp so that this number can be banned from the platform.
To report someone to Whatsapp you should:
- Open the chat with the person you want to report.
- Click on More options > More > Report. Check mark the white box if you want to delete that person aswell.
- Now tap on Report.
It may take a few days for WhatsApp to recognize this so you may need to wait a while as they get thousands of reports a day.
If they do get banned, that number will not be able to use the platform again.
Remember that if you block someone on the app they may still be able to contact you on your phone instead so make sure you block the number both on your phone and on the app.
Avoid Group Chats
One common way for strangers to get your number is to add you from a group chat. When you’re in a group chat, your number will be visible to everyone else in that group chat.
If you do not know someone in there, they gave easily take note of your number and keep it to message you later.
To avoid being added to group chats, Click on the Settings option and then tap on Account. Click on Privacy > Groups. The default setting is likely to be set to Everyone.
You can change this to My Contacts so that only people in your contacts can add you to a group chat. This way, you’ll avoid random people adding your number.
If you still want to be added to group chats then I would advise you to leave the chat immediately once you know that you have been added.
The other people in the chat will see that you have left as there will be a message on the chat saying so. They may or may not still be able to see your number once you have left that chat.
Conclusion
By now you should know what to do if this problem happens to you again. There are settings to avoid this which I have shown you.
If you end up recognizing who it is that is trying to contact you, you should add them to your contact list to save you confusion in the future.
If you’re genuinely curious as to who the person is then you can give them a call to see if it is a familiar voice. But I doubt that you are that desperate to find out who it is.
Keep in mind that Whatsapp doesn’t randomly give out your number to people and that your number was already in the address book of this stranger so you can carry on using Whatsapp without a worry.
Contact your phone provider and see if they have any extra information or any advice that they could give it. It usually happens to a lot of people so they would have a better idea about what to do about this.
