According to new research from WhatsApp, almost three fifths of the population (59%) say they have received – or know someone who has – a message-based scam in the last year, most notably via SMS text message (46%) and WhatsApp (13%). This type of scam unfortunately appears to be increasingly common.
WhatsApp, Citizens Advice and the National Trading Standards’ Friends Against Scams are working together to launch STOP. THINK. CALL., a new campaign to help educate people on how to protect themselves and their WhatsApp account from message-based scams.
What You Should do?
Stop, Think, and Call before you respond to a suspicious or unusual message.
STOP: Take Five before you respond. Make sure your WhatsApp two-step verification is switched on to protect your account; that you’re happy with your privacy settings, and your six-digit pin is secure.
THINK: Does this request make sense? Are they asking you to share a PIN code which has been sent to you? Are they asking for money? Remember that scammers prey on people’s kindness, trust and willingness to help. Taking over your account could enable them to deceive others on your contact list.
CALL: Verify that it really is your friend or family member by calling them directly, or asking them to share a voice note. Only when you’re 100% sure the request is from someone you know and trust, should you consider it.
Further information can be found here
BBC News recently highlighted a case where a grandfather lost money saved for Christmas presents to criminals posing as his grand-daughter on the messaging service and as a result transferred a large sum of money.The full news article can be found here
