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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThe warnings from Meta itself follow warnings from cybersecurity experts, who have highlighted the risks that users of WhatsApp face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cybersecurity expert Lucas Molefe warned that criminals are using impersonation tactics, posing as friends, family members, or colleagues to deceive victims into handing over money or sensitive information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Molefe stated that a growing wave of scams is targeting WhatsApp users, including SIM swaps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFirst of all, they typically focus on SIM swaps, which steal the actual number, and this is usually done through phishing attempts,\u201d Molefe said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnother way is through your linked accounts, because WhatsApp is connected to Instagram and Facebook, scammers can gather information like your birthday or family connections to make their impersonation more convincing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Molefe said the most common and dangerous method remains SIM swaps, where criminals trick victims into sharing their one-time passwords. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scammers can then access WhatsApp accounts, bank profiles, and other digital identities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These scams will also begin with fraudsters pretending to be someone of trust, where they claim to have a new number, clone or spoof an existing number or use stolen profile pics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They will then use urgent stories to make the victim act immediately by increasing this pressure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSometimes they impersonate someone you know or someone you trust. This happens a lot in NPOs and NGOs, and even in businesses,\u201d said Molefe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey impersonate a colleague and say, \u2018Hey, I just want to check, do you see a WhatsApp OTP that just appeared? Can you give it to me quickly? I need it urgently.\u2019 You\u2019re going to give it because it comes with urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These scams are highly effective, as you feel inclined to trust people that you know personally and act immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause you know me, it\u2019s easier to communicate with me and provide assistance. And that\u2019s what scammers exploit: urgency and trust,\u201d said Molefe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Criminals also use social media to make their impersonations even more convincing, utilising details such as birthdays, family connections, and other personal information to establish credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A common WhatsApp takeover is often preceded by someone pretending to be a bank or service provider who asks for the OTP or clicks on suspicious links.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fraud facing victims of social media is so severe that WhatsApp is sending clear warnings to users on the app. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":841569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9878],"tags":[45,2282,16370,2118],"class_list":["post-841568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-facebook","tag-instagram","tag-meta","tag-whatsapp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841568","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\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=841568"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":841586,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841568\/revisions\/841586"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/841569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=841568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=841568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=841568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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