This is the new WhatsApp scam that wants to get hold of all your data

No, WhatsApp support has not contacted you via an in-app message. They are trying to steal your account and then scam your contacts.

A new day, a new scam carried out using WhatsApp. This messaging application is currently one of the most popular and due to this, they come out from time to time scams They use it as a means to obtain data from users who fall for these well-executed deceptions.

In the last few hours, a new scam has come to light that is being replicated around the planet. The scam is made up of several situations, although It all starts with receiving a message within WhatsApp indicating that the start on a different device has been requested and if there is no answer, the account will be deleted. of WhatsApp.

Logically, it is a false message, WhatsApp will never contact users through the application’s own chat, and even less will it threaten to delete the account if a message is not received. Scammers take advantage of ignorance and the extreme situation to make people fall for this scam.

In addition, if you answer “YES” or “NO” as indicated in the message, it only serves to start the next step of the scam.. What the people behind these messages are looking for is interaction since it is an indication of ignorance, giving them a chance to get hold of the WhatsApp account if they continue to press.

WhatsApp has not sent you any messages: it is a scam

In some cases, when you answer with a negative, the conversation continues and they ask if the session has started with a specific device that is the iPhone 7 Plus. The choice of this device is disconcerting since it has a couple of years behind it, being another indication that it is a scam.

But as if this were not enough, the conversation continues and not in the most logical way. Scammers snap at the person on the other end of the conversation and do it repeatedly requesting the 6-digit verification code used by WhatsApp when switching devices to verify the identity of the user.

This is the key point of this scam. Scammers do not have the SIM card of the person they are trying to scam and of course cannot receive this code in any way. But they rebuke the possible victim by requesting this code, posing as WhatsApp support so that, once it is delivered, they can get hold of the account.

And, is that, While this whole situation is taking place, what they are doing is requesting WhatsApp verification with that phone number. In case they have fallen for the deception and have sent this code, what will have happened is that they will have been given complete control of WhatsApp without anything being done to prevent them from stealing the data.

Once the account has been hijacked, the way in which scammers operate is quite simple: send messages to all your contacts requesting a money transfer to a bank account. It may seem like something extremely crude, but it is surprising how many people have fallen for this scam.

In addition, for this transfer to be successful, what they do is send a message in which it indicates that the person they are impersonating is in an emergency situation. Normally when using this type of messagesthe success rate is usually quite high.

What can be done to avoid falling victim to this scam and many others? There is only one clear answer and that is to ignore any type of message that seems official, but has indications of having been falsified. In the case of WhatsApp it is easy, the messaging company will not contact you directly and even less using a chat in the app.

If, on the other hand, you find yourself in the situation of having received a message from a contact requesting money, the first thing you should do is verify this situation.. The best way to do it is through a call, thus allowing the person himself to explain the reason for the message and if he really needs a transaction.

Also, In case you receive a message from an unknown contact within WhatsApp, the best thing you can do in the first place is to block this person and then contact friends or family to see if anyone shares this number; thus avoiding a situation in which you can fall into a scam.