A new hoax is circulating on WhatsApp in Colombia and the worst thing is that it arrives disguised as official communication. What is it about?
We must be especially careful when it comes to protecting our personal information. In recent days, in Colombia, WhatsApp once again became the favorite channel for digital criminals.
A new type of scam is circulating strongly in several cities in the country, and the most worrying thing is that many users are falling because the deception comes disguised as official communication.
The method is simple, direct and plays on people’s fear of losing their account or having their number blocked. That is why the authorities turned on the alerts and asked citizens to take extreme precautions.
The scam begins with a message or call from an unknown number. On the other side, someone identifies themselves as ‘WhatsApp official‘technical support advisor’ or ‘verification agent’.
They use formal, convincing language, and even mention supposed security protocols. The objective is only one: make the user believe that their account has a problem and needs urgent validation to avoid suspension.
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From there, criminals deploy various tactics. The most common is to ask the person to send a code which arrived by SMS.
That code, which many times the victims do not know exactly what it is for, It is actually the key to taking control of the account.
Once they deliver it, cybercriminals access the The victim’s WhatsApp, they block it and they begin to use it to ask their contacts for money or request supposedly emergency transfers.
But that is not the only strategy. Another variant that is becoming common is the video call. Scammers ask to activate the screen sharing function with the excuse of “guide the verification process.”
By doing so, they obtain a complete view of the cell phone: banking applications, chats, saved passwords, emails, photos, everything. It is one of the modalities that most worries cybersecurity experts, because it opens the door to more complex financial frauds.
How to prevent scams?
Authorities explain that this scam is effective because it takes advantage of something very human: the urgency. The idea of “your account will be suspended” either “Your number will be blocked in 24 hours” It makes many people act without thinking. And although WhatsApp never makes these types of contacts, most users do not know it.
That is why the recommendation is clear: no WhatsApp official asks for codes, personal data, passwords neitherrequests to activate functions within the app. If a message like this arrives, the first thing is to ignore it, then block the number and, if necessary, report it.
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It is also essential to activate the two-step verification within the app. This function adds a Additional PIN that prevents third parties from taking control of the account even if they manage to obtain the SMS code.
The new modality already has dozens of reports and is expected to increase during the end-of-year season, when criminals take advantage of the high digital movement.
The final recommendation is simple: If a message asks you to act immediately, the safest thing to do is to stop. And if he claims to be WhatsApp supportbetter to distrust from the start.
