As WhatsApp is one of the most used apps by Spaniards, more and more cyberattacks and scams occur on this platform, in recent months the police have discovered an attack that is repeated and it all starts with a message from a known person who find abroad. We tell you how they do it and how to detect it so as not to fall victim.
Cyber scams are a problem that does not stop growing, not only because of the number of daily cases that exist, but also because the strategies of criminals become more sophisticated and difficult to detect. In the case of this scam that we are going to talk about today, the hook is that the cybercriminal is the one who incites you and gives you the opportunity to give him personal information in order to continue with the deception.
How is the scam
Suddenly one day you receive a WhatsApp message from a phone number that you have not saved, which says something like “Hello, how are you darling. Someone who always remembers you fondly from abroad writes to you… Guess who I am ??”.
The objective of this message is for you to give him a name of a family member, friend or acquaintance who is in this situation so that the criminal can impersonate him and continue with his deception. From here, the attack can be directed in two directions, the first being that the other person asks you to make a transfer because he has had a huge problem at the airport and has not been able to fly to Spain.
The other option is that the scammer keeps asking you more questions to get more private information about you, such as your address or name and other personal information, and then steal money from the bank.
Sweetie?…????
You’re cute but…
?????????Don’t bite
?????????Report
?????????Block
— National Police (@police)
How do I detect that it is a scam?
The main problem is that these cybercriminals know what they are doing, and they are experts at extracting information to make you believe that it is a person you do know. The first thing is to try not to give them information, for example, if a friend or family member had a real problem, they would tell you directly, not make a guessing game.
In addition, the normal thing will be that if you have a relationship with a person, they write to you from the telephone number that you have saved, and in the case (which may happen) that they tell you that they have changed it, if their number is abroad is foreign and does not start with the prefix +34.
Remember that anyone can see your name on WhatsApp
Many times we fall into their traps because they personalize the message, calling us by name or asking about the children or the dog. But remember that this is information that they can get just by looking at your WhatsApp account, since we all have a registered name in the app, and our profile picture can give them information about us.
That is why it is important to be alert, and if you think that they are trying to deceive you, ask for proof, such as a photo of the person they claim to be, and if they refuse, there is something strange there. Although it is best to block that number as soon as possible and if you have fallen victim to this deception, go to the authorities.
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