Through apps like WhatsApp we can suffer many types of cyber attacks. Hackers take advantage of services that are very popular to achieve their goals of steal data or sneak viruses. In this case it is a new scam that takes advantage of the pull of the World Cup. Therefore, you should be careful if you receive any message of this type these days. It could be a scam, and your privacy and security could be at risk.
Messages scam of the World Cup by WhatsApp
When there is an important event or when we are at a specific time like Christmas, cybercriminals can take advantage and increase their attacks. What they are doing these days is sending messages related to the Soccer World Cup. They are sending links to supposed Android applications to watch the games and they are actually a scam. They also send supposed pages to watch games or coupons with which, according to them, you will be able to obtain exclusive Internet data to watch games online and not spend your fee.
really all this they are scams. They are simply baits that they put when taking advantage of something that is very present these days. Many people are really looking for a way to watch World Cup matches via mobile or may be interested in not spending data on their rate. Regarding the latter, the scam is that FIFA is supposedly giving away 50 GB of Internet data so that anyone can watch the World Cup matches from their mobile.
But of course, when we click on those links or download those files, what we really do is end up in a fraudulent website where they will ask for personal information, put a bank card to confirm something, etc. A full-blown Phishing attack with the aim of stealing information or passwords.
Generally, what they do is send a link via WhatsApp that leads to a page that they have created and pretends to be from FIFA. There it may contain a file that you must download, a form to fill out or anything that makes you have to enter your personal data.
What to do to avoid WhatsApp scams
What can we do to avoid WhatsApp scams? It does not matter if it is a scam related to the World Cup or any other, since you can always suffer from similar problems. It is fundamental the common sense and don’t make mistakes. Always be wary of any link you receive through this means and never enter your personal data.
In addition, it is essential that you install applications always from official sources. If, for example, you need to install a program to see World Cup results or anything similar, use official stores such as Google Play. Avoid downloading such apps from third party sites as it could be a scam.
It is also important to have a good security program. This will help detect malicious software and any threats that reach your device. Although it is not foolproof, it will certainly help improve security and avoid many problems. You also need to have everything updated to correct possible vulnerabilities.
In short, as you can see, you should be careful with the messages you receive on WhatsApp. It is essential that you do not click on links that may be scams and only download applications from reputable sources. It is important to act well when dealing with fake WhatsApp messages.