The whelk family includes many snails... many of which we do not want in our tanks. They will eat snails, starfish etc.... they are carnivores. Some look like whelks, like the nassarius, which is a scavenger and is helpful. Rule of thumb, if in doubt, isolate until you can id it or remove it.
Could be harmless.... could be a problem child. You need to firmly ID the species to know for certain.