Police Warn of Potential WhatsApp Account Hacking Scams
The Kolkata Police have issued a cautionary message to the public following reports of a WhatsApp account hacking scam, which prompted complaints from a student and a businessman. With scammers constantly devising new tactics, the rising number of cyber scams has become a major cause for concern. In this era of advanced technology, it has become increasingly challenging to discern whether we are falling victim to fraudulent activities, being monitored through our devices, or at risk of having our finances stolen.
Kolkata Police has issued a warning to WhatsApp users about the latest scam. According to a Gadgets Now report, the scam started on Facebook Messenger, where the scammer impersonates someone else and contacts their friends.
Kolkata Police shared the news on their Facebook handle with a screenshot, “WhatsApp is getting hacked! If you get a message like this and if someone in your WhatsApp contact list (even if known) asks you to forward the same, don’t. Fraudsters use this to take control of your WhatsApp account.” We have received few such complaints from you.Police asked netizens to forward such messages to them so that the scammers can be traced.
How the scam happens
According to the head of the investigation, scammers contact people on the victims’ friends list and ask them to join their yoga classes. They send a link that prompts recipients to click and request a six-digit OTP code. Once entered, the scammer takes over the WhatsApp account on another device.
OTP is originally a WhatsApp verification code. As soon as he accesses the WhatsApp account from another device, the user loses access. The scammer then impersonates the victim and requests money from their contact, often claiming it’s an emergency. They even promise that the amount will be paid back.
The hacked account is also used for other scam activities. In some cases, the accused may trick their victim into investing their cryptocurrency in order to get their WhatsApp account back.
