diff --git a/src/WAClient/Messages.ts b/src/WAClient/Messages.ts
index eb7bf3c..e1011ae 100644
--- a/src/WAClient/Messages.ts
+++ b/src/WAClient/Messages.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ export default class WhatsAppWebMessages extends WhatsAppWebBase {
     async modifyChat (jid: string, type: ChatModification, options: {stamp: Date | string} = {stamp: new Date()}) {
         let chatAttrs: Record<string, string> = {jid: jid}
         if ((type === ChatModification.unpin || type === ChatModification.unmute) && !options?.stamp) {
-            throw 'options.stamp must be set to the timestamp of the time of pinning/unpinning of the chat'
+            throw new Error('options.stamp must be set to the timestamp of the time of pinning/unpinning of the chat')
         }
         const strStamp = options.stamp && 
                         (typeof options.stamp === 'string' ? options.stamp : Math.round(options.stamp.getTime ()/1000).toString ())
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ export default class WhatsAppWebMessages extends WhatsAppWebBase {
             case MessageType.text:
             case MessageType.extendedText:
                 if (typeof message !== 'string') {
-                    throw 'expected message to be a string'
+                    throw new Error('expected message to be a string')
                 }
                 m.extendedTextMessage = { text: message }
                 break
@@ -152,10 +152,10 @@ export default class WhatsAppWebMessages extends WhatsAppWebBase {
     /** Prepare a media message for sending */
     protected async prepareMediaMessage(buffer: Buffer, mediaType: MessageType, options: MessageOptions = {}) {
         if (mediaType === MessageType.document && !options.mimetype) {
-            throw 'mimetype required to send a document'
+            throw new Error('mimetype required to send a document')
         }
         if (mediaType === MessageType.sticker && options.caption) {
-            throw 'cannot send a caption with a sticker'
+            throw new Error('cannot send a caption with a sticker')
         }
         if (!options.mimetype) {
             options.mimetype = MimetypeMap[mediaType]
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ export default class WhatsAppWebMessages extends WhatsAppWebBase {
         })
         const responseJSON = await urlFetch.json()
         if (!responseJSON.url) {
-            throw 'UPLOAD FAILED GOT: ' + JSON.stringify(responseJSON)
+            throw new Error('Upload failed got: ' + JSON.stringify(responseJSON))
         }
         const message = {}
         message[mediaType] = {
diff --git a/src/WAClient/Utils.ts b/src/WAClient/Utils.ts
index 6c348cf..92e86ae 100644
--- a/src/WAClient/Utils.ts
+++ b/src/WAClient/Utils.ts
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ export async function generateThumbnail(buffer: Buffer, mediaType: MessageType,
     if (info.thumbnail === null || info.thumbnail) {
         // don't do anything if the thumbnail is already provided, or is null
         if (mediaType === MessageType.audio) {
-            throw 'audio messages cannot have thumbnails'
+            throw new Error('audio messages cannot have thumbnails')
         }
     } else if (mediaType === MessageType.image || mediaType === MessageType.sticker) {
         const buff = await sharp(buffer).resize(48, 48).jpeg().toBuffer()
@@ -97,10 +97,10 @@ export async function decodeMediaMessage(message: WAMessageContent, filename: st
     */
     const type = Object.keys(message)[0] as MessageType
     if (!type) {
-        throw 'unknown message type'
+        throw new Error('unknown message type')
     }
     if (type === MessageType.text || type === MessageType.extendedText) {
-        throw 'cannot decode text message'
+        throw new Error('cannot decode text message')
     }
     if (type === MessageType.location || type === MessageType.liveLocation) {
         fs.writeFileSync(filename + '.jpeg', message[type].jpegThumbnail)
@@ -138,6 +138,6 @@ export async function decodeMediaMessage(message: WAMessageContent, filename: st
 
         return trueFileName
     } else {
-        throw 'HMAC sign does not match'
+        throw new Error('HMAC sign does not match')
     }
 }