Meta-owned messaging app- WhatsApp has become the latest platform for cybercriminals to dupe innocent people. Cybercriminals are using the WhatsApp Group Chat features to dupe hundreds of people around the world. It has often been witnessed that people get added to any random WhatsApp chat group and this should not be taken lightly. Not only this, people should remain vigilant even in the known WhatsApp group chats. As per UK's Actionfraud report, a total of 636 complaints were registered in the WhatsApp group chat scam in a single year. Now, the question arises what is the WhatsApp Group Chat scam and how do fraudsters target people joining the chat group? Below is everything you need to know-
What is a WhatsApp Group Chat scam?
As per the report published by UK's action fraud, fraud often begins when a member of the group receives a WhatsApp audio call from the fraudster, pretending or claiming to be another member of the group. This is done to gain the individual’s trust, and often the scammer will use a false profile picture and/or display name, so at first glance, it would appear to be a genuine member of the group.
The fraudster will tell the victim they are sending them a one-time passcode which will allow them to join an upcoming video call for group members. The criminal then asks the victim to share this passcode with them so they can be “registered” for the video call.
In reality, the criminal is asking for a registration code to register the victim’s WhatsApp account to a new device so they can take over their account.
Once the fraudster has access to the victim’s WhatsApp account, they will enable two-step verification which makes it impossible for the victim to regain access their account. Other members of the group, or friends and family in the victim’s contacts, will then be messaged asking them to transfer money urgently as they are in desperate need of help."
How to avoid such types of scams and scammers?
Detective Superintendent Gary Miles of the London Police said, "To keep yourself safe from fraud, never share your account details or any passcode or verification codes with anyone. If you think you are being targeted, report the message and block the sender within WhatsApp. To make your account more secure, we advise setting up two-step verification to provide an extra layer of protection."
The release further shared some steps to keep in mind to avoid such kinds of incidents.
- Set up two-step verification (2SV) to give an extra layer of protection to your account.
- Tap Settings > Account > Two-step verification > Enable.
- CALL. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person outside of WhatsApp to confirm their identity.
- Report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’, and then follow the instructions.