Existing WhatsApp profile associated with NEW Public Mobile number

[AmiC]

Hi,
I just opened an account for my daughter, and when I wanted to send her a WhatsApp message, a picture of a different person was associated with her phone number.
Could it be that the phone number we purchased for her account is already associated with a different user? How could this be resolved?

[DennyCrane]

https://faq.whatsapp.com/3347469605523961

"If the previous owner of your phone number didn't delete their WhatsApp account:

You and your contacts may see your phone number in WhatsApp before you activate a new account.

You may also see someone else's profile photo and About section attached to your phone number.

There's no need to worry. This only means that the previous account wasn't deleted, so old information still exists in the system. This does not mean that the previous owner of the phone number has access to your WhatsApp account. Your conversations and other WhatsApp data are secure.

Once you’ve completed the verification process, you can change all of the profile information. We recommend that you leave all groups that your current account number is tied to and block all unknown contacts."

[AmiC]

Thank you!

[computergeek541 · Accepted solution]

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@AmiC wrote:

I guess my question is whether Public Mobile may have assigned a phone number that was already in use, and what can be done to resolve this on their end?

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For that type of situation, the only resolution would be a change of phone number.  Your daughter can do that from within the Public Mobile self serve account.

[AmiC]

Thanks!
We haven't yet migrated her account from her previous number to this one, since we were concerned that there may be a security issue or some other problem with 2 users having been allocated the same number.

From the replies I gauge that this is not likely, and that it simply appears that Public Mobile has recycled a number from a previous user, who seems to have had a WhatsApp account associated with this number, which retains his picture. Do you think this may be the case?

[computergeek541]

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@BKNS27 wrote:

@AmiC 

When you open a WhatsApp account with her PM number. WhatsApp will send a 2FA code by text or call to complete the account.

Did she get the text?

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That process would only move the already existing WhatsApp account to a different device.  It would not delete the old account and all history and contacts from the other person's account would still be there.

[BKNS27]

@AmiC 

When you open a WhatsApp account with her PM number. WhatsApp will send a 2FA code by text or call to complete the account.

Did she get the text?

[AmiC]

Thanks,
I guess my question is whether Public Mobile may have assigned a phone number that was already in use, and what can be done to resolve this on their end?

[computergeek541]

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@AmiC wrote:

I just opened an account for my daughter, and when I wanted to send her a WhatsApp message, a picture of a different person was associated with her phone number.
Could it be that the phone number we purchased for her account is already associated with a different user? How could this be resolved?

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This isn't a Public Mobile issue, unless of course they have mistaken assigned a phone number that was already in use.  If all the Public Mobile services are working, the choices are to change have your daugther change the phone number or to contact WhatsApp to seek resolution.