Fake news can spread like wildfire, using platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to do so. While the former has taken steps to address the issue, WhatsApp still remains an advantageous avenue for users to disseminate their fake news stories. According to a TechCrunch report the messaging service is aiming to tackle the sending of "chain letter style spam messages".

To date, the company has not mentioned any system or tool being rolled out for spam messages, but two WhatsApp dedicated blogs, Whatsappen and WABetaInfo, spotted notification stating that the message "has been forwarded many times" when a user tried to forward the same text.  

TechCrunch adds that a similar alert will appear when a frequently forwarded message is received, although both features are not currently available in any official format at this stage. In fact, it may not appear on WhatsApp any time soon, with TechCrunch noting that Facebook (who owns WhatsApp) routinely tests features for its platform on some of their mobile offerings.

For now though, neither Facebook nor WhatsApp has commented on the feature.