Wrong grandchildren and children are increasingly on WhatsApp again. Police departments nationwide are warning of the scam. This is how you protect yourself.
Sample WhatsApp history looted by scammers. (Source: Central Hesse Police Headquarters)
- Cyber criminals try to swindle money via WhatsApp. They use the grandchild trick for this.
- Parents and grandparents are led to believe that their child or grandchild is in an emergency situation.
- Several such cases have become known in Germany since spring 2021. The police are currently warning of a new wave.
Cyber criminals have long discovered WhatsApp. There is a real wave going on at the moment. Around 10 such cases have become known nationwide in the last few days.
For example, on Friday, March 11, unknown perpetrators relieved a 60-year-old in the Paderborn district of 3,000 euros via Messenger. In Ludwigsburg, too, unknown persons have been successful in the past few days and stole 1,800 euros from a 66-year-old with the same scam. In Sulz, a bank employee was able to thwart another attempt at fraud.
This is how the trick works
The potential victims received a message from an unknown number via WhatsApp. In this, the cybercriminals write something like: “Hello grandma, my cell phone is broken and this is my new number.” You can also be addressed as “Mother”, “Father”, “Grandpa”, etc. If you react to this message, an emergency situation is initially feigned.
It is then explained that a certain amount of money urgently needs to be transferred to a bank account. The strangers often demand amounts of several thousand euros. There was already such a wave of fraud in 2021. The perpetrator or perpetrators are active nationwide.
This is how you protect yourself
The Paderborn district police authority therefore advises the following precautionary measures if you are contacted by an unknown number:
How did cybercriminals get your number?
Corresponding data can be bought on the Darknet. They mostly come from data leaks from manufacturers, Internet providers, etc. We’ll tell you how you can check whether your phone number is contained in a data leak. If you are annoyed with fraudulent messages particularly often, it might be advisable to change your phone number.
Criminals also try other methods to get your money via WhatsApp. For example, a woman transferred money to a scammer after he posed as a bank employee and allegedly informed her about a loan. You should also be careful with winning notifications via Messenger.
” Tip: The best VPN providers for more security and privacy
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