WhatsApp It is a platform now entered the newspaper of many, and for this reason the cybercriminals often target it, looking for increasingly insidious methods to take possession of the user account, or send scam messages. The theft of the account is something very recurring, so much so that there are many reports that come every day.
But how do the criminals enter our profiles, stealing personal data and information? The techniques are really varied. To provide some explanation on the matter is Massimiliano Donapresident of Consumers.it. “Truck attempts are certainly not new, but the gimmicks used to perpetrate them are increasingly refined and advanced. We are no longer in the era of the simple chains of Sant’Antonio or the phishing links that are easy to recognize“, he declares, as reported by Leggo.it. “Today, scammers exploit social hacking, that is, they manipulate personal relationships to extort data or money. This can take place, for example, when a hacker target a friend or relative and then use the compromise account to contact us and ask for information sensitive, such as the credit card number or pushes us to click on a malicious link“, he adds.
To take possession of the account of a user, cybercriminals are used to sending a SMS with verification codefollowed immediately after by a WhatsApp message sent by a contact that the victim knows (hacked previously) to convince it to forward that number number. If the user falls into the trap, and follows all the steps, he will end up passing his profile to the criminal, who will seize the account and can do what he wants, also ask for a redemption. Massimiliano Dona recommends to immediately activate the PIN and the Check in two stepsso as to get a little more safe from profile theft attempts.
Among the many attempts to attract the attention of the victims, there is also that of the false news of Paysapp for a fee. In essence, the user receives a message in which it is said that the app will become paid if it does not share the message with other people. Not only that. In other cases, some subjects received a message in which they were invited to download an unofficial version of the application. By clicking on the link you end up installing a virus capable of subtracting data.
Eye also to the false discount codes. “We often receive messages from acquaintances who invite you to participate in surveys or promise discounts For expensive brands“, Dona explains. “Do not click, delete them immediately and warn those who sent them to you: probably their accounts have been compromised. Furthermore, do not participate in charity chains on WhatsApp. The payments requested in most cases end up in the scams of the scammers and not of the NGO indicated in messages“.
Fortunately for us, there is a way to understand if we find ourselves in front of a scam. Just stop for a moment and reflect before taking reckless steps. The first thing to do is precisely the careful reading of the malicious message. Often these messages are not even in Italian, but in foreign language.
Or they have been translated by automatic translator and it is clear very well. In case of doubt, moreover, it is important to ask others for advice, look for online or turn directly to the police.