From: alan@invalid.com   
      
   On 1/25/26 11:24 AM, micky wrote:   
   > In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Sun, 25 Jan 2026 13:00:55 +0100, Herbert   
   > Kleebauer  wrote:   
   >   
   >> On 1/25/2026 7:19 AM, micky wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> and told me to get his laptop and use   
   >>> whatsapp for the PC to continue relations with his friends (that is, the   
   >>> lying scammers).   
   >>   
   >> But Whatsapp for the PC doesn't work standalone, there needs to be   
   >> a paired smartphone (or is he using an Android emulator on the PC).   
   >> Who has control over the Smartphone? If the parents have the smartphone,   
   >> they can read the chat with the scammer (I don't know if it is legal)   
   >> and take action if necessary.   
   >   
   > He's been using a flipphone, and apparently some NokiA flipphones can   
   > run whatsapp, but not his.  I'm glad I asked about amartphones and his   
   > parents gave me an old one, broken glass, broken case, 0 battery charge,   
   > but it's got whatsapp and all his chats.   
   >   
   > His parents don't know what to do.   
   >   
   >>> I thought I could add a line to the HOSTS file which would stop Whatsapp   
   >>> from working.   
   >>   
   >> If he wants the PC to use Whatsapp but Whatsapp isn't working at all,   
   >> he will look for an other solution.   
   >   
   > He could go back to the phone. Neither phone has a sim but they both caa   
   > use wifi.   So I'd have to do something in both places.  He doesn't get   
   > out of the mental ward until Wed night or Thursday, only 3 days.   
   >   
   >> And maybe the server address is   
   >> hard coded into the code, so modifying the HOSTS file has no effect.   
   >>   
   >> If he doesn't know much about computers and Whatsapp, you could just   
   >> block the chat with the scammers. As I understand it, he can still   
   >> send messages to the scammers but not receive anything from them.   
   >> He can undo the blocking by a single mouse click, but only if he   
   >> know, that there is something like blocking chats.   
   >   
   > I just tried blocking someone on my whatsapp, and when I did that, a   
   > green oval with the words Unblock appeared at the bottom of the chat,   
   > and just one tap unblccked them. He'd have to be blind not to see it   
   >>   
   >> If the scammers have sent pictures, you could use Google to search   
   >> the web for this pictures (I suppose they don't take this pictures   
   >> themself but just copy them from the web) to show him that the   
   >> scammers are lying.   
   >   
   > So far, I'vw only had time to look at the papers his parents showed me,   
   > that I photograhed.  It includes pictures of both sides of a drivers   
   > license or identity card of the lawyer whose office allegedly prpared   
   > his donation paper, that he signed.  It's blurry so I can't see exactly,   
   > but the picture matches her picture on the web and she is a lawyer with   
   > a preetty big job, but none of this means she's really involved, someone   
   > could have copied the license. I will call or email her, not sure which   
   > is better, but it's Sunday and I only have her work phone, and email.   
   >>   
   I would call.   
      
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        Alan K.   
      
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