Meta-owned WhatsApp on Monday announced the start of global username reservations, a major privacy feature aimed at allowing users to connect without sharing their phone numbers.
The company said username reservations will begin rolling out immediately, enabling people to create and reserve a username before the feature becomes available within the app later this year.
However, the move has sparked concerns among entrepreneurs and industry leaders, particularly over the potential rise in impersonation scams.
Entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo voiced his concerns in a post on X, saying the feature could create significant risks in markets such as India if robust anti-abuse measures are not implemented.
"In a country such as India, this could be a disaster, if the right anti-abuse systems are not set up by WhatsApp," Warikoo wrote.
He warned that scammers could create usernames resembling those of public figures and use them to solicit money from unsuspecting users.
"Imagine receiving a message from warikoo / awarikoo / ankurwarikooo / ankur_warikoo / a_warikoo / ankurwarikooofficial etc. — soliciting money," he said. Warikoo added that many users do not understand verification badges and that username-based communication removes the ability to verify identities through phone numbers.
