Cyber Threat to UK Populace from latest WhatsApp Scam

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UK’s Law enforcement department has issued a fresh set to of warning to all UK populace who are using popular messaging service WhatsApp. The alert is related to a widespread scam that is targeting users on the said video and image sharing service.

Going by the details of the scam provided by the British National Crime Agency, scamsters are seen targeting WhatsApp users in disguise of a known contact. They are asking them to send them a verification code sent to them via text or email and as soon as the code is received the cyber crooks take hold of the account and allow them to read messages and scam further contacts in the device list.

Issue seems to be serious and so WhatsApp has offered a dedicated page on its FAQ Page that provides information about the scam and provides users certain steps to be followed by users.

KnowBe4 was the first to discover this WhatsApp scam targeting the populace of UK. It was found in November last year. But as the scam vanished without a trace, it wasn’t taken seriously by the British Police.

But now, the scam seems to have resurfaced and seems to have targeted over a 1000 individuals, thus allowing the scammers to conduct snooping on many compromised business accounts.

WhatsApp is a messaging service that has become a hit among individuals, and businesses. And as the service entertained financial transactions, such scams have potential to cause a lethal blow to business & individuals.

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Naveen Goud is a writer at Cybersecurity Insiders covering topics such as Mergers & Acquisitions, Startups, Cyber Attacks, Cloud Security and Mobile Security

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