WhatsApp Scammers on the Rise; Here’s How You Can Be Careful

Until recently, phone calls and messages have been the go-to means for scammers trying to fool innocent people and dupe them. But now, with WhatsApp's rising popularity as the primary means of communication, it's no surprise that scammers have adopted this app too.

Several WhatsApp users in India have reported receiving scam calls from international numbers. The majority of these calls are said to have come from Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam (+84), Indonesia (+62), and Mali (+223).

A recent report by Entrackr highlighted how the writer, Kul Bhushan, was at the receiving end (quite literally) of several WhatsApp scam calls. The report also mentioned how this issue has been slowly but steadily rising in the country.

A few users have also posted their experiences with the same on Twitter. One of them was Shreyansh Jain, who posted a screenshot of a message he received on WhatsApp from an HR offering him a part-time job to click on links.

In most of these scam cases, callers from unknown international numbers either offer jobs, ask for bank details or even ask to dial a number that starts with "67" or "405". Innocent, unsuspecting people usually fall prey to these scam calls.

Experts note that it's possible that these scammers don't even reside in an international city, but rather are calling from an Indian city via a VoIP number. They could also have purchased international numbers and activated WhatsApp locally.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp has tried to caution its users to block and report such numbers in case they receive such calls. In its monthly transparency report, WhatsApp mentioned that it banned 4,715,906 accounts this March, out of which the company banned 1,659,385 accounts proactively, which means without anybody explicitly reporting the account.

In case you do find yourself in such a situation, the wise thing to do would be to not accept a call that you do not recognize to be from either family or friends. But in case you do answer the call, be vary of individuals you do not recognize.

Furthermore, if the caller starts to probe or tells you to click on any messages or links or asks for personal information, be aware that the caller is a scammer. You should hang up the call and report the number immediately.

Source: Entrackr