Every day new instances of online scams are getting revealed. The trend to steal from people online has increased manifold and WhatsApp users are being targeted specifically because of the app's popularity. This gives scammers the opportunity to go after a massive number of users at the same time. Now, the latest scam targeting WhatsApp users looks to dupe them of money in their bank accounts. This scam, that was revealed by Russian security researchers at Kaspersky, is all about package deliveries from companies. Now, over the last 2 years, ever since the Coronavirus pandemic hit the world and lockdowns were imposed, everyone took to ordering products online. From medicines, food, furniture, electronic items to everything else, the trend to buy online has skyrocketed. No one wanted to leave their house and use cash as it carried a lot of risk. That mass population which is buying online is what cybercriminals are targeting.
Now, the latest scam targeting WhatsApp users has come to the fore. Revealed by Russian security researchers at Kaspersky, this scam is all about package deliveries from companies. The world was forced to go into lockdown in the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in dependency on online deliveries which skyrocketed. Cybercriminals started targeting these online buyers.
The process which scammers follow is that they send WhatsApp messages to users portraying themselves as delivery companies and then they tell the user that a package needs to be delivered to the address. They will eventually ask you to click on the links to complete the process or try to make a small payment instead.
"Unexpected parcels requiring payment by the recipient remained one of the most common tricks this past quarter. The reason for the invoice from the 'mail company' could be anything from customs duties to shipment costs. When trying to pay for the service, as with compensation fraud, victims were taken to a fake website, where they risked not only losing the amount itself (which could be far higher than specified in the email) but also spilling their bank card details,” Kaspersky lab said.
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When the user clicks on the link, he is taken to a fake website where he is asked to enter his bank details to make the small payment. This happens if the customer does not remember anything about his online orders.
In effect, the safety of users' money lies very much in their own hands. They must never click on dodgy links (always check who it is from) and above all, even if they land on some website that looks like it belongs to some big social media company or bank, do not insert your usernames or passwords. And above all, do not provide your debit card details, especially the CVV number on any suspicious website.