WhatsApp: beware of the new profile stealing scam

New day, new WhatsApp scam. Cybercriminals are continuing to bombard the messaging service with a number of particularly damaging pitfalls. In these hours, a scam is spreading leading to the loss of your WhatsApp profile. How to recognize it and how to defend yourself? Let’s find out together.

To announce the scam, the founder of the cybersecurity company CloudSek, Rahul Sasi. This explained that a series of thieves are using a rather simple method to steal the WhatsApp accounts of many users. The alarm was initially given to Indian users, however, the scam works and can be applied all over the world. That’s what it is.

WhatsApp: the unusual scam that steals your profile

It all starts with the arrival of an SMS that prompts you to call a specific phone number, preceded by a code. This, with the pretense of obtaining a prize or solving a problem. If the victim tries to call the number, within a few minutes, the cybercriminal manages to steal his WhatsApp profile. How? Simple, because the strange code that precedes the number is none other than the common code which tells the victim’s operator to forward all calls and SMS to the cybercriminal’s number. When the call is made, therefore, the cybercriminal sends the request to change the number for the account to WhatsApp and the service will send the 6-digit code to be entered to confirm the procedure. This code, however, it does not arrive via SMS to the victim, but is forwarded to the cybercriminal. The latter, in a few seconds, manages to take over the account.

In Italy, the code for forwarding calls and SMS is ** 21 *(telephone number to which they are forwarded). So if you receive any message prompting you to call a phone number starting with this code, don’t do it for any reason! It is, in fact, an attempt to steal your WhatsApp account. Look forward to any updates in this regard.