If your name is Lawrence Wong – same as the Singapore prime minister’s – your WhatsApp username may be off limits. — Picture by Yusof Isa By Malay Mail First Published: Saturday, 11 Jul 2026 3:53 PM MYT SINGAPORE, July 11 — If your name happens to be Lawrence Wong, Ong Ye Kung or Vivian Balakrishnan, you may find it harder to claim that exact WhatsApp username when the messaging platform rolls out its new privacy feature in Singapore.The handles matching the names of Singapore’s Prime Minister, Health Minister and Foreign Minister have already been reserved by WhatsApp, which said it is locking down high-profile usernames to prevent scammers from impersonating public figures, The Straits Times reported today.“To protect against impersonation, we’ve held the highest-profile names... so they can only ever be claimed by their legitimate owners. Lookalike derivatives of known names are held as well,” a WhatsApp representative was quoted as saying to the Singapore newspaper.The move means genuine users who happen to share the same names as prominent figures may not be able to register identical usernames, as WhatsApp also blocks variations that could be used to create convincing fake accounts.The Straits Times said that handles such as @Lawrence_Wong, @LawrenceWongg and @LawrenceW0ng have been locked.Cybersecurity experts said the safeguards are aimed at stopping scammers from using tiny spelling changes, similar-looking characters and copied profile pictures to fool users.“Handles used by fraudsters can feature visually similar characters or subtle spelling differences with convincing profile pictures to look legitimate,” Santiago Pontiroli, threat intelligence research lead at cybersecurity firm Acronis’ Threat Research Unit was quoted as saying.WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, began allowing its three billion users worldwide to reserve usernames on June 29 ahead of the feature’s official roll-out later this year.The update is designed to give users more privacy by allowing them to chat using a username instead of exposing their mobile number to new contacts.People or businesses contacting a user for the first time will not see the user’s phone number unless they already have it saved.However, the feature does not come with a searchable directory, meaning users will need to know the exact username before starting a conversation.Cybersecurity experts said reducing exposure of phone numbers could help protect users, especially as numbers are increasingly linked to online banking, password resets and one-time passwords.“Reducing unnecessary exposure of this personal identifier is a meaningful privacy enhancement,” Andy Prakash, founder and chief executive of IT security company Privacy Ninja, was quoted as saying.WhatsApp will also introduce extra safeguards such as optional username keys, where users can require a four-digit code before allowing new contacts to message them.Still, experts warned that usernames alone will not make users immune from scams.“What is more critical is to improve public education on scams to inculcate a sceptical mindset towards any individual one cannot see in person,” Aaron Ng, assistant professor and programme leader for the Singapore Institute of Technology’s Communication and Digital Media programme, was quoted as saying.Users who do not want a username can continue using their phone numbers, while disputes over usernames can be reported to WhatsApp for review.