WhatsApp provides various ways to protect yourself from cyberfraud and also your privacy. Below are some suggestions to review.
Please note: Since the WhatsApp is constantly changing, please refer to the official WhatsApp documentation for details, and refer to the "Security and Privacy" section.
You can control who sees your profile photo, your last seen (the last time you used WhatsApp), and your online status. On your WhatsApp app, go to Settings → Account → Privacy. The choices are Everyone, Contacts only, Contacts except certain people, or No one.
Create a six-digit pin to enable extra security for your WhatsApp account. Go to Account → Two-step Verification → Enable.
Stop someone from contacting you directly from a chat. Chose the person you want to block by clicking on their name and selecting Block Contact. You can also Report Contact if you think someone is sending you inappropriate content or spam messages. The last 5 messages from that person will be reported.
It is possible for other users to add you into any group. It is wise to protect yourself from unintentionally becoming a member of an unknown group.
Select Settings → Account → Privacy → Group and change from "Everyone" to “My Contacts only”
If you wish to leave a group, you can exit a group at any time.
Enable screen or fingerprint lock to prevent someone else from using WhatsApp on your phone. Everytime you wish to use WhatsApp, you will need to explicitly unlock it, e.g., by using your fingerprint.
Turn off location in your device settings so that you are not tracked when using WhatsApp (you can do this for other applications as well).
Turn off read receipts if you don't want someone to see if you have read their message or not.