Hackers impersonate couriers, exploit WhatsApp to steal money

Cyber fraudsters have devised new methods to hack WhatsApp accounts and scam users by sending urgent messages to their contacts often requesting money for medical emergencies In one method hackers send sixdigit verification codes from a victimrsquos contact number and once the user shares the code their WhatsApp account is compromisedAnother tactic involves fraudsters posing as courier service representatives and instructing victims to dial a specific number The moment the number is dialled the victim is logged out of their WhatsApp account ldquoIn todayrsquos digital age safeguarding your online presence is paramount We urge everyone to remain vigilant by never sharing verification codes refrain from dialling unknown numbers and enable twofactor authentication on WhatsApp and other social media platformsrdquo said Datta Nalawade DCP cyberVictims speakSpeaking to midday a Mumbai based senior journalist requesting anonymity said ldquoI was in a hurry to board a local train when I received a call from an unknown number claiming to be from Blue Dart The caller said a parcel agent was outside my house and shared a number asking me to call the agent I asked him to message it to me I later received a number that started with 21 followed by a mobile number I dialled it but the call didnrsquot connect Instead I received activation messages which I later realised was related to call forwarding to another numberrdquoldquoWhen i didnrsquot get a followup call from the courier agent I grew suspicious Soon after my I began receiving calls from my contacts saying they had received urgent messages from my number requesting Rs 42000 I immediately posted on social media that my WhatsApp had been hacked but by then some people had already transferred the money It took 24 hours to regain control of my WhatsApprdquo he addedFilm curator and Sunday midday columnist Meenakshi Shedde also fell victim to a WhatsApp hack losing access to her mobile phone for a month ldquoThis happened to me last year in August or September I was in Toronto travelling to the USA when I received a message from a close friend asking me to share an OTP I had just received Since I was about to board a flight to New York at 4 am I was distracted and forwarded it to her Immediately after I put my phone on flight mode as I was boarding my flight to the USArdquo Meenakshi saidldquoAfter landing I was shocked to see over 100 missed calls and messages from people asking if my WhatsApp had been hacked I panicked and checked my phone only to realise my WhatsApp had been hacked and I had been blocked out of my own account I quickly posted about the hack on social media and many people blocked my number to prevent falling victim to the scamrdquo Meenakshi saidldquoI repeatedly emailed WhatsApp for help but to no avail When I returned to India I went to the police cybercrime HQ at BKC but they told me they only handle fraud cases involving amounts above R10 lakh They directed me to the local Vakola Police Station but it was useless I was asked to fill out a digital form but the officer in charge of cybercrime was clueless and unable to record my complaint digitally and refused to even register a physical written complaintrdquo Meenakshi saidldquoIn the end it was my neighbour Vihangi Jani who helped me regain access to my account I lost all my saved WhatsApp data including important messages documents and workrelated videos and photos A friend also sent the hacker a tidy sum of money thinking I was in distress asking for helprdquo Meenakshi addedExperts speakldquoTo prevent such scams and hacks people must enable twostep verification Even if someone gets hold of the sixdigit code they wonrsquot be able to access WhatsApp without it giving users control over their accountsrdquo said Ritesh Bhatia cyber expert director and founder of V4WEB cyber securityldquoI have been stressing this time and again but the real question ismdashif intermediaries are aware of these hacks why arenrsquot they making twostep verification mandatory for all WhatsApp users especially when it is the only effective solution at this pointrdquo Bhatia added