Fraudsters impersonate contacts on Whatsapp to hack into people's phones.
A warning has been issued regarding the sneaky scam that goes from phone to phone.
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Tech expert and writer Alexis Conran took to Twitter to share the scam to warn subscribers.
He shared a screenshot of a phone and shared the image with the caption: "This is a scam WhatsApp which continues to attract people.
“It starts with that text message that arrives on your phone unexpectedly. "
In the thread, he told subscribers that once this message is received, a message WhatsApp will appear from someone in your contacts.
It will say, "Hello, sorry I sent you a 6 digit code by text message by mistake, can you forward it to me please?" It's urgent.
Alexis went on to say, “What really happened is that your friend's account was hacked.
“The crooks are now trying to hack all their contacts. You are one of them. "
“They are trying to set up a WhatsApp on a new device with your number.
« WhatsApp recognizes this and sends a 6-digit authorization code to your mobile phone via SMS.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST PUMPS WHATSAPP
- Do not click on the link sent to you in the SMS message.
- If you receive a message from a contact on your phone and they ask you to send them a code, ignore the message.
- Text, NOT WhatsApp, or call your friend to let them know they've been hacked.
- Install a 2-step verification code on your phone to prevent hackers from entering your WhatsApp.
“The crooks are now trying to get you to pass on to them by pretending to be a friend of yours. "
Alexis explained that if you send the code to the hacker posing as one of your friends, your WhatsApp will then also be hacked.
He advised users to turn on two-step verification on their devices if they haven't already.
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He also said to contact the friend who sent the message to let them know they've been scammed - but by calling or texting them, not via WhatsApp.
This means that your friend can disconnect from WhatsApp and enable 2-step verification, which will "keep out scammers," Alexis said.
Consumer company Which one? has now also been made aware of the scam and urged the public to be made aware of it.
