{"id":795187,"date":"2024-10-12T22:44:51","date_gmt":"2024-10-12T20:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=795187"},"modified":"2024-10-12T22:46:51","modified_gmt":"2024-10-12T20:46:51","slug":"whatsapp-hacking-warning-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/internet\/795187\/whatsapp-hacking-warning-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"WhatsApp hacking warning in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MTN is running a WhatsApp hacking awareness campaign, warning South Africans that criminals taking over people\u2019s accounts are on the rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WhatsApp is the most popular mobile messaging platform in South Africa, with 93.9% of active social media users using the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the latest statistics, WhatsApp has 28.8 million users in the country. This is much higher than any competitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This high number of users and the platform’s popularity mean it is a popular playground for criminals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numerous social media scams exist on WhatsApp, including scammers using fake profiles to send messages or links that can be dangerous and lead to malicious websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also many scams where criminals with fake profiles lure victims into bogus investment scams or similar schemes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another widespread problem is impersonation scams, where a WhatsApp user pretends to be a romantic partner in desperate need of funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A particularly dangerous version is brandjacking, where fraudsters create a fake social media account or website that looks like a legitimate brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They use these hoax sites and social media profiles to trick people into sharing their personal or banking information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many criminals also use the lure of receiving an exclusive version of the app with new updates and features to trick users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This scam, dubbed WhatsApp Gold, convinces users to click on a link or install software which installs malware on their device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This malware can be used in numerous ways, including stealing personal information, like banking details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all of these scams and many others, the criminal aims to hoodwink WhatsApp users to give them money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WhatsApp hacking rising in South Africa<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

MTN has warned South Africans that there is a rise in WhatsApp hacking, where criminals gain unauthorised access to accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It explained that fraudsters use various methods, such as SIM swap fraud, phishing and public Wi-Fi attacks, to gain access to a person\u2019s WhatsApp account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They aim to steal personal information or money or use the stolen WhatsApp account for nefarious purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To avoid being hacked, MTN advised WhatsApp users to turn on two-step verification to add an extra layer of protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This requires a PIN in addition to the verification code, making it harder for anyone to access your account even if they get the code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged users to be cautious of suspicious messages and links. \u201cDo not click on suspicious links or download files from unknown sources,\u201d MTN said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhatsApp does not ask for your personal information via messages, so avoid sharing details like your verification code.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It further advised users to never share their 6-digit verification code with anyone. Scammers can use it to hack into a WhatsApp account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MTN said users should avoid using public Wi-Fi when doing sensitive transactions, as it could expose their data to attackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAvoid accessing WhatsApp or entering sensitive information while connected to unsecured networks,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A very important piece of advice to protect against getting hacked is to only install the official WhatsApp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDownload WhatsApp only from official sources like Google Play Store, Huawei AppGallery or Apple App Store to avoid fake apps that might steal your information,\u201d MTN said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Users should also regularly update their phones’ operating systems and apps to ensure they have the latest security controls, making it harder for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MTN further advised South Africans to use WhatsApp’s fingerprint or face recognition lock feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will ensure that no one can access WhatsApp even if they have physical access to people\u2019s smartphone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fraudsters use various methods, such as SIM swap fraud, phishing and public Wi-Fi attacks, to take over people\u2019s WhatsApp accounts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":795188,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9882],"tags":[28,2118],"class_list":["post-795187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internet","tag-mtn","tag-whatsapp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=795187"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":795191,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795187\/revisions\/795191"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/795188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=795187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=795187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=795187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}