{"id":136340,"date":"2019-04-29T18:43:46","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T18:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=136340"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:03:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:03:59","slug":"new-whatsapp-scam-phishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/new-whatsapp-scam-phishing\/","title":{"rendered":"You need to look out for this new WhatsApp scam"},"content":{"rendered":"

WhatsApp is quite a secure app and its end-to-end encryption is renowned for protecting user privacy. The latest security features can only go so far, though. There is one element that will always remain vulnerable even if an app is up to date with all the latest security features and protocols. That rogue element, so to speak, is us. The human factor<\/strong> can help hackers break through even the most secure defenses an app could possibly have.<\/p>\n

It is the human factor that sits at the heart of the latest WhatsApp scam to do the rounds. You need to look out for this one or you could fall victim, too.<\/p>\n

WhatsApp hackers are trying to trick users into clicking fake links that will lock and steal their accounts<\/h2>\n

\"WhatsApp<\/p>\n

This latest WhatsApp warning is coming out of the Middle East where the\u00a0Telecommunications Authority of the UAE<\/a> has published a warning against this new type of scam. Unfortunate victims have seen their WhatsApp accounts completely hijacked<\/strong> with hackers then able to read their messages and, even scarier, send messages on their behalf.<\/p>\n

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The scam works by sending a link to users who\u2019ve recently installed WhatsApp on a new phone. What normally happens when this happens is WhatsApp sends a verification code to the user in order to prove their identity. In this case, however, the scammers are sending the code, along with a link, to users\u00a0as a text message and asking them to click the link to prove their identity.<\/strong> The problems arise for users when they click the link.<\/p>\n

\"Clicking
If you click the fake link, you could lose your WhatsApp account<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whenever a user clicks the link, they confirm to WhatsApp that it is them, but they do it via the hacker.<\/em> This then authorizes the hacker to control the user\u2019s WhatsApp account and freezes them out.<\/p>\n

The warning from the UAE says, \u201cMobile users should not share the verification code that is sent to them by SMS, otherwise, their account will be compromised. Many WhatsApp accounts were hacked this way, and subscribers lost all their details.\u201d The scam has already claimed a lot of victims who no longer have control of their WhatsApp accounts. Worryingly, there are also reports that the scam has since been translated from Arabic into English and French, which means it could be coming to the U.S. and Europe.<\/p>\n

\"beware
Image via: Twitter<\/a>\u00a0– The scam has since been translated from Arabic to English<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You always need to be extremely careful when opening attachments and clicking links that you\u2019ve received in messages, particularly when the message comes from somebody you don\u2019t know. Phishing scams, which try to trick you into handing over sensitive information, are on the rise globally. They\u2019ve become increasingly sophisticated in recent times meaning it is much harder to spot scam attempts.<\/p>\n

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Read more<\/p>\r\n

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New scam spotted on the Google Play Store \u25ba<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n \r\n

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Security alert: new Netflix phishing scams \u25ba<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

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This ingenious phishing scam is targeting iPhone users \u25ba<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n \r\n

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New year, new scams: what to watch out for in 2019 \u25ba<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

Fortunately, we\u2019ve prepared an infographic containing 10 key steps you should take, if you\u2019re suspicious about a message you\u2019ve received. You can check out our guide for avoiding phishing scams by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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How to detect scam emails and messages<\/p>\r\n Find out now<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WhatsApp hackers are trying to trick users into clicking fake links that will lock their accounts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9073,"featured_media":136344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[1015],"tags":[1082,2333,1083,1040,1027,1043],"usertag":[790],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-136340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-android","tag-app-subdomain-redirectionwhatsapp","tag-ios","tag-messaging-apps","tag-security","tag-whatsapp","usertag-whatsapp"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9073"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136340"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":326200,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136340\/revisions\/326200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136340"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=136340"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=136340"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=136340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}