6 hours agoAuthor: Sandeep Singh
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Recently, famous cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has revealed a dangerous WhatsApp scam, which happened to a relative. He has warned people about this new cyber fraud by sharing a video on social media platform X (Twitter).
Harsha Bhogle told in his post that his relative received a message in the name of a familiar friend, which said that a verification code has been sent to his number by mistake. His relative shared that code, trusting the friend, but it was a big fraud.
As soon as the code was shared, the scammers immediately hacked the WhatsApp account and took the entire control of that number in his hand. After this, the scammers messaged their acquaintances and relatives from the same number and started asking for money from them.
However, his relative immediately complained to Meta (WhatsApp’s parent company) about the case and with his help his account was returned again.
Actually the name of this scam is ‘WhatsApp Hijack Scam’. In this, scammers cheat your friends or relatives.
So let’s today News of the need I will talk about what is ‘WhatsApp Hijack Scam’. Will also know that-
- How do scammers carry out this scam?
- How to avoid WhatsApp hijack scam?
Expert: Rahul Mishra, Cyber Security Advisor, Uttar Pradesh Police
Question- What is WhatsApp hijack scam?
answer- Such cyber fraud is called ‘WhatsApp OTP scam’ or ‘6-digit code scam’. In this, the scammer sends a message in the name of an acquaintance and asks you WhatsApp Verification Code (OTP) and they hijack your account as soon as you share the code.
This scam is also known as ‘Friend Emphersity Scam’ as scammers cheat your friends or relatives. After this, they send messages to your friends and relatives demanding money or other cyber frauds.
Question- How can you identify this scam?
answer- Cyber expert Rahul Mishra says that if friends or relatives ask to transfer money by messaging WhatsApp, first verify that call. Apart from this, these methods can identify this scam.
Question- How to avoid WhatsApp hijack scam?
answer- Cyber expert Rahul Mishra says that if someone asks for OTP on your phone on a call, do not share it. Be cautious with unknown calls and messages. Also check the sessions and devices of WhatsApp. Go to ‘Licked device’ and see if there is an unknown device login. Also keep some other things in mind. Understand it from the graphic below-
Question- What kind of precautions should be taken about WhatsApp?
answer- Some important precautions should be taken to keep WhatsApp safe. First of all it is necessary to turn on two-step verification, so that your account will be additional safe. Do not share OTP under any circumstances because scammers can achieve it and hack your account. Avoid reacting to calls and messages coming from unknown numbers as these may be part of fishing attachments.
Also, do not blindly trust the forward messages, first verify it. Strong your privacy settings, so that unknown people cannot see your profile photo, last scenes and status.
Apart from this, if the WhatsApp account is automatically logged out and asks for OTP on logging again, contact the WhatsApp support team immediately.
Some additional precautions should also be taken to protect WhatsApp, which often we all ignore.
Do not ads in unknown group: Go to your privacy settings and make sure that only your contacts can add you to a group. Never have ad in an unknown group.
Be cautious with suspected voice or video calls: Some scammers can fraud through voice or video calls, so avoid receiving calls from unknown number.
Do not download third-party apps: Always download WhatsApp from the official Play Store or App Store. Third-party apps may contain malware.
Keep WhatsApp web secure: If you are using WhatsApp web on a public computer, do not forget to log out after the work is over.
Do not share sensitive information chat: Do not share bank details, passwords or other sensitive information in chat with anyone. Doing this can leak the data.
Use biometric lock: Many smartphones give WhatsApp to secure face unlock or fingerprint lock, if your phone has this facility then definitely use it.
Do not give unnecessary permission: Give only necessary permission to WhatsApp and go to your phone settings from time to time and check whether any unnecessary access has been given.
Update WhatsApp from time to time: Always keep your WhatsApp updated. This keeps WhatsApp safe.
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