WhatsApp accounts are being stolen - Sensitive information of citizens is being obtained through fraudulent messages
For several days, messages with links have been circulating on WhatsApp that direct citizens to websites from which their account data on this application is stolen. This phishing campaign has deceived a significant number of citizens, resulting in the loss of control of their WhatsApp accounts and the theft of sensitive information.
But how does this fraud scheme work?
The phishing message is sent by a known contact on WhatsApp and contains text inviting the user to vote for a girl in a fictitious “competition” for school scholarships, including a fraudulent link. After the victim clicks on the link, they are redirected to a page that simulates a voting platform and asks them to enter their phone number, as well as authorize their WhatsApp account, using an 8-character verification code.
If authorized on the user's WhatsApp, i.e. the code generated by the phishing platform is placed on the user's WhatsApp, malicious actors gain full access to the victim's WhatsApp account, which they use to further spread the campaign and potentially collect sensitive information stored in the application.
The National Cybersecurity Authority recommends that to identify unauthorized access, you should go to settings, linked devices, and if there are unauthorized devices connected to WhatsApp, they should be deactivated.
For those who have fallen prey to this scheme, it is suggested that they immediately regain control of their WhatsApp account, following the official recovery procedures and changing the passwords of other linked accounts, such as Google Drive or iCloud. It is also important to notify personal contacts of the theft, or to avoid further distribution of the message, and to activate Multi Factor Authentication.
Similar cases were identified a few months ago with the theft of citizens' bank accounts from fake websites via emails or messages sent to their phones. The elderly are the ones who tend to fall prey to these messages. Meanwhile, the use of artificial intelligence is also making websites that aim to steal such data more sophisticated and indistinguishable.
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