WhatsApp is no stranger to crashes caused by strange messages, but the latest kind can cause unstoppable crashes, and in the worst cases, can even erase chat history.

WABetaInfo posted a lengthy message detailing what it calls "scary messages," which could also be described as "text bombs." Either way, these are messages sent by popular third-party messaging apps that are designed to crash when received by other unsuspecting users.

What these messages have in common is the use of unusual characters, often consisting of multiple non-Latin alphabets. When a message containing such strings is opened, the application does not know how to process the string, which causes problems.

Opening a message containing such a string will cause WhatsApp to enter an infinite loop of crashes. In this case, the chat history in the device will be lost and nothing will remain unless you have an up-to-date backup or have backups enabled.

Some of these messages work with the Android version of the app, while others work with the iOS version. This is not an invitation to tap on the funny message.

You may also encounter a vcard, a so-called virtual contact card, that causes crashes. This card contains multiple contacts with strange names and causes crashes in the same way as messages.

If you receive such a suspicious message, there is a safe way to delete it. Log into WhatsApp Web on your desktop or laptop computer, block the user who sent you the message, then set Privacy to "My Contacts" or "My Contacts... Other" and finally delete the message to avoid potential problems.

However, this method only works if you already have a WhatsApp web session open.

Sadly, such messages have occurred many times over the years, but WhatsApp seems unable to provide a comprehensive fix. The only thing users can do is be vigilant, keep their apps up-to-date with any updates, and hope that developers will eventually figure out how to remove these vulnerabilities for good.