How to prove someone has sent WhatsApp messages from my phone?

[Lovestosing]

Posting for traffic. Any tech experts out there? I strongly suspect that someone has got hold of my phone and accessed my WhatsApp messages and sent it to themselves in order to blackmail and harass me. Is there any possible way I can prove this? Is there a way of retrieving deleted messages/past activity on WhatsApp?

I would imagine it's more likely someone has screenshotted the messages and forwarded them on, so maybe check your deleted photos.

If you go into 'Help' then chat history then look for deleted messages or chat history

I’ve checked my photos, including deleted ones and they’re not there. Imagine they deleted them.

Sorry youwouldthink but those options aren’t available in my WhatsApp help?

Was this person near your phone and able to gain access at the time they got sent? I think I’d try to prove that.

Or someone got hold of your phone and took photos of your WhatsApp messages using their own phone.

But what are they blackmailing you for? Surely if someone is blackmailing you the obvious thing would be to go to the police?

I became aware that someone knew something about a conversation I’d had via WhatsApp with someone else who I trust implicitly. I went into my WhatsApp and saw that there was a blank conversation with the person I suspect - I have never communicated with this person via WhatsApp before and the time of it was when I was around them and not near my phone - in retrospect I realised that this person had been absent from the group for a while and I didn’t look at my phone the whole time I was there (a few hours).

No blackmail yet, but this person has form. They started to make nasty insinuations which is why I got suspicious and checked my phone.

looks like they set up a whatsapp with themselves, sent the evidence then deleted the chats your end.

I think that's exactly what they did Buzz. Other than this blank chat with them I have no proof. So frustrating!

It depends what the nature of the conversation is. Something illegal or simply private.

Going forward you should take better care of your property and not let it fall into dodgy peoples hands.

Does it say what time these 'blank' messages were sent? Do you have anyone who could verify where you were and what you were doing whilst your phone was available to the other idiot?

Hmm, could you bluff that you have proof that this happened? and flush them out, so to speak?

On mine its in settings then help. You can also set up Whatsapp on a pc or tablet to run alongside one set on your phone. A frirnd had smashed his screen and needed to be online and used it this way. Not sure of the ins and outs of this though.

**friend!

What is it that you think they can blackmail you over? We at least need some idea. Is it illegal? Relationship damaging? Gossip?

As we were at someone's house and at a fairly small gathering I didn't for one second think someone would take my phone, I was busy talking and also dealing with my children. Lesson learned for the future though! Unfortunately it now reads as yesterday with no time on it, I should
Have taken a screenshot when I realised but I was so shocked and sickened.

Do you backup whatsapp to Google or somewhere else? I've never tried to access the backup for an earlier date, but it could be there. Although I think it's just done overnight, so it might not capture messages that were sent and deleted straight away.

WhatsApp just change their system so that you can no longer keep copies of WhatsApp messages and screenshots? Is it possible the new system upgrade deleted them? I know that the advice now is to use another device to take an actual picture of what you want to save as there is no other way under the upgrade.

I am so un tech savy I am not much help but I see in my whats app settings you can have a report prepared of your account info it doesn't include the actual messages but maybe you should request anyway and see if it details when messages were sent or if during that time you know you didn't use phone or app there was activity, just to confirm something was sent? worst case the report is useless to you.

What have you been saying that someone can blackmail you with?!?!

If they get out I would just claim the screenshots are photoshopped/forged

When you say blank chats, do you mean something like this?

Sorry, did you actually receive a blackmailing message from them?
If it's just the blank conversation, what could have happened is that they sent you a message, then thought better of it and deleted it from their own phone.
If they wanted to send themselves old messages, you can do that by setting it up to back them up to an email address.

What have you done .. is it so bad?
If not tell the person involved...
Also if they blackmail you call the police...

1st thing to do is passcode and/or fingerprint lock settings on your phone

Then:
Either wait it out until blackmailer instigates something
Or intercept them and say 'nice try but I know what you did re my WhatsApp'
Alert via group chat anyone who needs to know about it so that if/when this person instigates something you've already got support
Go to the police

Only you know what it's about so as to know what the best course of action is