David Ochayi
(Nadia Buari. Photo Credit: Nation News)
Award-winning Ghanaian-Nigerian screen star Nadia Buari has issued a stark warning about the surge in online identity theft following WhatsApp’s latest username feature launch.
The Meta-owned messaging platform recently introduced usernames as an alternative to sharing personal phone numbers for communication.
Taking to Instagram, the celebrated actress revealed her shock when multiple attempts to secure a WhatsApp username under her name proved futile—every variation was already claimed.
“From ‘Nadia Buari’ to creative abbreviations like ‘NSB’ and even ‘theNadiaBuari,’ all were snatched up,” she lamented.
Buari described the eerie experience as both frustrating and eye-opening to the speed at which digital impersonators operate.
In her impassioned post, the movie star cautioned fans about the dangers of identity theft, stressing how rapidly scammers adapt to new technologies to exploit unsuspecting victims.
“If they’re this swift with usernames, imagine their tactics for more sophisticated scams,” she warned, urging heightened awareness.
The Beast of Two Worlds actress emphasized that her struggle to claim even modified versions of her brand name underscores a disturbing trend of online impersonation.
“These fraudsters don’t sleep—the moment a new feature drops, they’re already weaponizing it,” Buari added, calling for greater platform accountability.
She concluded with a sobering reminder for followers to double-check accounts before engaging, as digital con artists continue evolving their deceptive strategies.
