There are various methods adopted by hackers for hacking Whatsapp. A similar hacking case has surfaced where hackers hack your friend’s account. Then send you a personal message and execute the fraud.
WhatsApp is currently the world’s most popular messaging app. But Whatsapp is also the victim of most hackers. There are various methods adopted by hackers for hacking Whatsapp. A similar hacking case has surfaced where hackers hack your friend’s account. Then you send a personal message and in this way, the fraud is executed.
How this scam works?
In the WhatsApp-OTP scam, the hacker sends you a message claiming to be your friend. To grab your immediate attention, the fraudster describes some kind of emergency. After providing assurance of being your friend, the hacker will ask for an OTP, which the scammer describes as an accidental forward. The scammers will send multiple messages to lure you to forward the OTP.
The hacker wants to access your WhatsApp account through OTP validation. The moment you will share the OTP with the fraudster, you will be locked out of your Whats-App account and the hacker will have full access to your messages, contacts, and groups. The hacker may also request monetary help from your dear ones. The chain of events gets multiplied once the scammer hacks into your account.
Two-factor authentication on Whats-App comes in handy for users who would want to prevent falling prey to these types of scams. The rule of thumb to prevent these types of frauds is to never share your OTP or personal information with anyone.
In a Whats-App OTP scam, hackers hack your friend’s account and make many messages to you. Meanwhile, an OTP will be sent to you from the hackers. Hackers will then claim that that OTP has been forwarded to you by mistake. After this, hackers will ask you to share the message on your number. In this way, as soon as you share OTP, hackers will lock your WhatsApp account. And your WhatsApp account will be completely controlled by hackers. Hackers can then carry out a banking scam with you. Apart from this, hackers can also ask for financial support from you.
How to avoid fraud
- To avoid incidents of WhatsApp fraud, users should use two-factor authentication.
- Whatsapp links coming from unknown numbers should not be opened. This could be a bug or hacking software.
- You should not download files from unknown numbers on WhatsApp.
- Do not trust the message received from the account of a friend or relative.
- If a friend or relative asks for money by messaging, then please confirm once by calling the friend or relative.
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