Hackers can use multiple methods to attack, steal passwords or sneak in viruses. On many occasions they take advantage of a specific event, a time of year, etc. That is what happens when Christmas approaches, for example. For this reason, in this article we are going to explain what are the scams that can reach you by WhatsApp at Christmas. In this way you will know how to identify it and not fall into error.
Christmas scams on WhatsApp
The fact that they use WhatsApp to try to sneak scams It is no coincidence, and it is that in many cases they will use applications and services that are very popular. It can happen on social networks like Facebook, but also on messaging applications like WhatsApp that we all have on our phones.
fake offer
An example of typical scams that can arrive by WhatsApp this Christmas are the false offers. It could be a heavily discounted product, a supposed discount code, or anything similar. What they seek is to attract the attention of the victim so that they click on that link or download a file.
This is significant at this time since it is when many of us are thinking of buying something to give as a gift. Any offer that may come to us could be attractive and would make us click.
Christmas raffles
They can also use as bait a alleged Christmas raffle. Normally in this case they will request that you put certain information to enter that draw. You may be asked to register somewhere, fill out a form, etc. In some cases they will even ask you to put the bank card to, supposedly, receive an economic prize there.
But once again we are facing a scam. They take advantage of Christmas to send messages of this type so that the victim falls into the trap. It is a problem that can compromise our personal data on the Internet.
Did not receive package
On these dates it is very common that we are waiting for a package. We may have made a purchase for Christmas celebrations, a gift, etc. Hackers know that and can pose as a delivery company to scam and steal data or sneak in a virus.
Something that usually happens is that they send us a message on WhatsApp supposedly from a delivery company saying that they have not been able to deliver the package and that we confirm a new date. By clicking, we are actually entering a fake page that has been created just to steal data or download a virus.
Christmas video or photo
Another type of Christmas WhatsApp scam is when we receive some video or photo which is actually a fraud. Normally it is something related to Christmas and most likely you will receive it from a contact who has previously been infected and sends it without being aware of it.
The problem is that this file may contain a virus or if it is a link it may lead us to a false page. It is one more method to try to scam and put privacy and security at risk.
In short, as you can see, these can be the main scams that can come to you on WhatsApp these Christmas days. It is important that you be alert and know how to act when faced with a false WhatsApp message so as not to have problems.
