Hackers and scammers always go where They think they can get more money and information. In recent months, we have seen all sorts of scams from the DGT, e-commerce and especially WhatsApp. From scammers pretending to be a son to this case in which they “hijack” an account to pretend to be a trusted person. So Iand it happened to this journalist from the Complutense University of Madrid and an Iberia worker. She told what happened to her to a friend through a thread on the social network X.
It’s not just one WhatsApp scam, it’s two at the same time
To understand what happened to Sonia, we must first know how the scammers operate. This WhatsApp scam works in two phases:
- The “WhatsApp hijacking”: The first thing that scammers do is to access a person’s WhatsApp account. Through different methods, they manage to access it and, thus, access all their contacts and conversations.
- Talk to known contacts and ask for money: With this begins the real scam. Hackers talk to contacts to ask them for money with different excuses. From broken cell phones to car breakdowns, to trips abroad…
That being understood, let’s begin to specifically analyze the case of Sonia and her friend. Since this is a clear example of how this double WhatsApp scam works. As she tells it in X, it all started when her friend asked her for money. Everything coincided: They gave him details about the flight, the time, the bank was Spanish…There was no indication that this was a scam.
An audio message can help you identify the scam
Conversations use a language similar to that of her friend with “amore”, “tomorrow when I arrive in Madrid I will give it back to you”. Fortunately, he realized this before making any payment. One of the simplest methods that can be used to Identify if there is a scammer behind it is to ask them to send you an audio.
If they drag their feet or keep writing to you in a hurry, their WhatsApp account may have been hacked.
If it is actually your friend, family member or colleague who is behind this, you will have no problem. verify your identity with audio. Even though he may seem like a bad friend and suspicious, you can openly say that you have seen many WhatsApp scams and that you do not feel completely safe if he does not do it. Of course, also It is advisable to call by phone or talk to a family member to corroborate what happened.
How to prevent your WhatsApp account from being hacked
As we have seen, this is a double scam. On the one hand, you always have to be careful of any unusual friend request. However, to avoid being the victim of your account being hacked, you must enable this WhatsApp feature on your iPhone.
- Go to WhatsApp > Settings
- Account Section > Two-Step Verification
- Choose a PIN code and never share it
- For added security, also enable passwords
Enabling these settings is crucial to protect yourself from these scams. And that’s it WhatsApp scams have evolved and they have become more and more sophisticated. Remember that a little control can prevent big problems. Even if it is a very close friend or family member, if it is money, at least ask them to send you an audio and try to contact the person by another means.
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