The new code scam via WhatsApp that steals data and phone number. A very popular scam in the middle of 2020 was that of the fake unlock code. You would receive a message asking you to enter a six-digit ‘sent by mistake’ number. Through this system the attacker on duty was able to have access to the device and its data. Just these days, in December, a new version of this old evergreen scam is circulating. There police post reports of dozens and dozens of people, in the Rimini area, who were victims of this trick.
The new code scam via WhatsApp that steals data and phone number
The huge spread of the WhatsApp chat app makes it the perfect target for a whole host of cyber scams. Many criminals, also relying on the fact that the application is mainly used by adults who are not attentive to digital security, rely on this to introduce dangerous software on target devices. From here they can then acquire important data: not only the owner’s phone number, but also the entire phone book and much more.
The trick is always the same, accompanied by the usual message “Hi, I sent you a 6-digit code by mistake, could you send it back to me?”. The text may not always be the same, and vary: perhaps it may also contain a link to external sites, equally harmful.
The code is sent by SMS. The unfortunate who, naively, were to send this code would see his WhatsApp profile stolen.
The new scam also provides the possibility, through the stolen profile, to remotely access the internal data of the victim phone, by sending some specific software that requires a sort of ‘activation confirmation’.
Here is the evolution
In this way, the hacker on duty will be able not only to appropriate the profile and use it to further spread the malware, but also to sneak into the victim’s device and steal valuable information such as bank account numbers, passwords and so on. The victims in the Rimini area, for example, reported losses of over 5 thousand euros.
The advice is always to avoid opening suspicious links and never share your login information.
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