WhatsApp is one of the most used mobile messaging applications in the world and Argentina is no exception. It already has more than two billion users around the globe, who exchange texts, images, videos and all kinds of files quickly and easily. Unfortunately, in recent years, the application owned by Goal It has become one of the most used cyber-scam tools.
With technological advances, criminals have found new methods to get hold of the personal and bank details of their victims. Some of them achieve their goal in a simple way thanks to WhatsApp, so it is always suggested to be cautious when using the application and always be suspicious of those unknown numbers that are contacted.
Most of these robberies consist of a modus operandi repeated and simple They pose as a friend, family member or acquaintance and ask the deceived person for a loan. This crime is known worldwide as phishing.
In recent times, in the country, a more complex and effective modality was established to achieve the criminal objective. This is a process similar to most scams, except that the hackers they pose as an institution, rather than a person. However, the complexity lies in how they disguise the appearance of the user whose identity is stolen.
In this case, the hack consists of cloning the phone number and accessing the phone book of the person whose identity is replaced. Thus, scammers send messages to different phonebook numbers, posing as the owner of the stolen line. Scammers request a transfer to a CBU also adulterated and they pretend that it is for a close person.
To avoid this in the first place, it is important to check if the numerical characteristic of the message matches that of the person it claims to be. In the second instance, it is recommended to contact the person requesting information or money by telephone to verify if the request is real. Another option, to rule out deception, is to ask personal questions that few acquaintances or entities know about. In most cases, it is not advisable to give out confidential information.
But there are also other popular modalities. One of the most common scams that has been circulating for months is the one in which criminals pose as a friend or relative who claims that they have lost their mobile and that is why they write from an unknown phone. This person will say that he needs to pay for transportation and will ask his victim to send him money through a link included in the body of the message.
One widely used in times of pandemic, is the bot verification code. At some point, you may receive a code that doesn’t actually verify anything. Most security systems provide the option of double authentication to adequately protect passwords. Thus, if a six-digit code is received on WhatsApp, someone may be trying to set up a new account or log into their existing account on another device.
It is also possible that the criminal, posing as a company or an acquaintance of the victim, sends a message requesting a code that has been sent to him by SMS that can be used to participate in a raffle. The result would be the same as in the previous case: someone could set up a new WhatsApp account or start a session on another device as if they were the victim.
Finally, one of the most dangerous is the one that pretends to be a bank. Some banks have customer service via WhatsApp, so the unsuspecting do not find it strange to contact them for any management. The criminals pose as a bank worker to offer what at first seems like a legitimate service in exchange for providing them with personal data and even bank credentials.
by RN
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