The cybercriminals they always find ways to attack. Now a new scam is growing on WhatsApp, by means of a supposed update to steal the identity of the users and obtain private information. The modus operandi is not new, but criminals prey on people’s innocence.
Scammers, who send a message to hook their victims, which is known as “phishing.” “Identity theft or phishing is a type of online fraud that is carried out by text messages, calls and more frequently, by email, with the aim of stealing your personal information, money or causing you to download a virus”, according to the Federal Consumer Prosecutor’s Office.
How is deception done?
- Cybercriminals send an SMS to their victim, stating that the application is out of date.
- In the message it says that it is necessary to corroborate information to use the app, there is even a link with the word WhatsApp.
- Shortly after, a six-digit code will arrive and they ask you to share it through the SMS conversation
However, the only thing that happened is that someone requested access to your WhatsApp account from another device and the shared code is to enter your profile. The most common reasons for stealing bill of a user is to extort or send fraudulent messages to your contact list.
Some measures to prevent identity theft are:
- Ignore suspicious messages, even if they come from friends or family
- Activate 2-Step Verification.
- If you have already been a victim, request a new verification code and enter it before the criminals.
- Call (650) 965-2389 from anywhere in the world or send an email to support@whatsapp.com.
According to the annual report Panorama of Threats in Latin America 2021 by Kasperskand, during the last year, 299 cyberattacks per minute were registered in Mexico. In addition, the most attacked countries are Brazil (more than 5 million attack attempts this year), Colombia (1.8 million), Mexico (1.7 million), Chile (1 million) and Peru (507 thousand).
KEEP READING…
“123456” leads the top of the most used passwords: follow these tips to create secure passwords
msb
