A catastrophic fraud that has cost consumers millions of dollars is being warned about by the police to those who use WhatsApp, and the authorities urge users to be especially alert – or risk losing thousands of dollars to thieves.
Scammers love WhatsApp because it is used by so many individuals throughout the world.
As Action Fraud explains it, the “buddy in need” scam is a variation of the “hi mom/dad it’s me” fraud.
It’s the beginning of a scam in which the con artist pretends to be chatting to the con victim’s children.
A common explanation is that they’re messaging from a friend’s phone or a new number.
However, your child’s WhatsApp account may have been hacked in order to carry out the hoax.
They’ll want a significant number of money for an urgent expense, but it’s a complete hoax.
Please be careful to verify any requests for money from your “kid” by another way, such as a phone call or in person.
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In other cases, parents have lost thousands of dollars adopting this tactic.
Don’t pay any money until you’ve confirmed the sender’s identity, advises Detective Chief Inspector Craig Mullish of the City of London Police, if you receive a message like this.
Before you hand up any of your money or personal information, take a minute to pause and reflect.
The fraud was reported 1,235 times between February 3 and June 21 this year, according to Action Fraud.
A whopping £1.5 million has been spent on the afflicted as a result of the incident.
Stop, ponder and contact the cops if you want to avoid being caught.
The receiver is contacted over the phone to confirm their identification and the nature of the request.
On addition to reporting spam messages, you may also ban the sender in WhatsApp.
