Most scammers on WhatsApp pose as a family member, mostly your mum or dad. For this reason, they are less likely to ask your name. As the conversation continues, your “mum” or “dad” will tell you they have lost their phone. Since they now have a new phone, they will tell you they cannot access the internet, or their mobile banking account is problematic. For this reason, they need money urgently to foot some bills. Some stories will lead you to give up your personal information or pin number.
How To Protect Yourself from A WhatsApp Scam
As a security expert, I strongly suggest that you block or report an account that asks for personal details, money, credit card information, or pin number.
What To Do It You’ve Accidentally Clicked a Dodgy Link
- Cut the internet connection to reduce the risk of losing your sensitive information
- After the attack, you may lose some data. For this reason, you may want to back up your files after disconnecting your device from the internet.
- Scan your device to elbow out malware responsible for sending out your valuable information to the attacker
- Create new online credentials for your accounts, including shopping accounts, social media, email, and mobile banking. Ensure each account has a different username and password to reduce the risk of losing your personal information and funds when an attack happens again.
- Install a fraud alert
What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed
If your credit card or bank account is involved in the scam, report it immediately to the card issuer or the bank. After reporting the scam, monitor your bank statements. This makes it easy to detect usual transactions.
Why Are There So Many WhatsApp/Text/Email Scams?
WhatsApp, text, and email scams increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is safe to say scammers took advantage of circumstances created by the pandemic to benefit themselves.
What Is the Gov/Police Doing to Crack Down on These Scams?
The police are ramping up enforcement action that sees the arrest of people involved in scam cases. On the other hand, the government creates online scam awareness among the general public and organizations.
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