“I have something to tell you, add me on WhatsApp”: beware of this new phone scam

A new scam has been wreaking havoc in recent weeks. This latest scam involves pretending to be someone you know in order to get money from you.

This article was republished as part of a partnership with Cybermoi/s, an event organized by Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr to raise awareness of cybersecurity issues.

WhatsApp may be an excellent instant messaging application, but unfortunately it is not immune to malicious people. For several years now, WhatsApp has been filled with numerous scam attempts, each more original than the last. These scams often try to pretend to be someone you know in order to gain your trust and lower your vigilance.

Recently, we had already observed one of these new scams. The hackers would pretend to be one of your children and simply send you a text message with the following content: “Hello Dad, I lost my phone, add me on WhatsApp” followed by a new number. Of course, it wasn't really your child, but a hacker hoping that you would add him on the instant messaging application to gain your trust and send you hacked links.

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< p>Several Spanish police inspectors are currently warning about a new scam that is very popular in Europe. Unlike the previous ones, this one is categorized by a call from an unknown number, usually from South America, and more specifically from Chile. Once you have picked up, a woman's voice calls out to you: “Hey, I have something to tell you. Add me on WhatsApp”. Before you even have time to answer, the person hangs up and leaves you with only their number to add to the messaging app.

Of course, adding this unknown person to WhatsApp is a very bad idea. By getting into the hacker's game, the Spanish police inspectors decided to see how far the scam could go. Once the person is added to the app, the latter will start to send you several messages with very diffuse content and containing different URL links. These links are obviously fraudulent and clicking on them will install several viruses on your phone in order to spy on your activities, steal your personal data and extort money from you. It is even possible that your phone will send several fraudulent links on its own to infect other people!

If an unknown person tries to add you on WhatsApp, you must always make sure of their identity beforehand. Similarly, if someone (whether you know them or not) sends you URL links on the app, be wary! This could well be a stranger pretending to be someone you know or a trusted person whose phone has been hacked. If you have already accidentally clicked on one of these links, turn off your phone, remove the SIM card, and go to a repairer or phone expert.