By Staff Reporter
Several unsuspecting members of a popular resident’s social media group,Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts (ZNOART) Midlands this morning had their Whatsapp accounts hacked by Cybercriminals pretending to be from the organization’s inviting them for a special meeting.
ZNOART is an umbrella body organization representing all residents and associations in Zimbabwe and the hacked Midlands group has councilors, parliamentarians, senior government official, and corporate executives among many respected members of the society.
The Cyber-criminal with a Nigerian accent, using a cellphone number from the group chat list, App called members informing them of a special urgent meeting this evening at 1900hrs.
This new form of fraud begins when the user receives a text message with a six-digit number on their phone, which will be requested by the criminal as confirmation of attendance at the meeting.
He could request members to give them an attendance confirmation code sent to his phone within 30 seconds as it will expire within that time. Once given the code, he takes over your account as well as all the private information on your smartphone..
“Your WhatsApp account is being registered on a new device. Do not share this code with anyone.
Your WhatsApp code:XXXX,” reads the message one receives on the phone.
This reporter was also targeted by the cyber criminal who was using a cell number belonging to a member who had earlier fallen victim to the scam.
Econet Wireless Services should be applauded for continued awareness campaigns through alerts to their customers.
Here is one of their alerts; “Be alert! Mobile phone hacking via Whatsapp and SMS is increasing. Verify all suspicious messages requesting your personal information before responding”.
Cybercriminals are daily recognizing the vast potential of cyberspace and exploiting network vulnerabilities for monetary gain.
Detective Assistant Inspector Tom Muleya, working under the Criminal Investigations Department said since many people (school children, students, individuals, and corporate businesses) are in possession of some smartphones allowing for fast internet connectivity, mobile scams will definitely increase to unprecedented levels.
He said Whatsapp hacking is a mobile scam that allows criminals to lock user’s accounts and access
Messages and this new form of fraud begins when the user receives a text message with a six-digit number on their phone.
This text message supposedly comes from the Whatsapp platform. The hacker poses as a friend or one of the contacts asking them to send a 6-digit code that they receive in their inbox.
The code is a confirmation that Whatsapp sends to all its users if someone tries to sign in from a different device.
The message goes like this; “Hello! Sorry, I mistakenly sent you a 6-digit code by sms. Can you transfer it to me, please! It is urgent!”
The moment the targeted user responds and sends that code, the account is hacked. The hacker gains access to the account and obtains the personal information, and then uses it to commit fraud.
Muleya added that Whatsapp scams are sophisticated like any other internet scams but can however be minimized or prevented if users choose to follow measures that can guarantee their security.
Below are some of the things one can do in order to avoid falling prey.
o Whatsapp users must act responsibly. To act responsibly entails exhibiting proper and sensible behavior when using Whatsapp. Users must avoid being complacent but act thoughtfully in handling messages that come on mobile phones or Whatsapp platforms.
The very thought that Whatsapp platforms are home to good and bad things is the first or primary line of defense against these scams.
o Whatsapp users must activate a “two-step verification” process. This entails that as soon as the suspicious message is received, purporting to be coming from a friend or one of the contacts asking for a six-digit code, the user should first contact the friend in question to confirm whether it is indeed them who sent the message. The user should however do the confirmation from another application other than Whatsapp (because it is already intervened) to confirm the identity, and only then should the code be shared, best if it is shared over a voice call. Any six-digit code sent without prior confirmation will result in being hacked.
o Whatsapp users must immediately switch off their mobile phone and or delete any suspicious message. Mobile phones are mischievously known for erroneously sending messages even to the wrong destinations. Hence switching off the phone and or deleting the message will prevent the accidental sending of a six-digit code to the hacker.
o Whatsapp users must take total control of their mobile phones and secure passwords.
Some people don’t protect their passwords and like their mobile phones playing in the hands of other people. Such actions will result in other people responding to six-digit code requests without even informing the mobile phone owner.
Get empowered by Fraud Insight and prevent or minimize Whatsapp fraud scams. Watch out for the next issue as we look at some other forms of hacking.#The Sun
