Las scams through WhatsApp are numerous, like this one in which the cybercriminals They resort to creating groups with random user numbers to try to offer fraudulent ways to obtain money or some other type of deception, which can be avoided by configuring the privacy settings.
Cybercriminals are using multiple platforms to reach potential victims more directly and through different means. One such platform is Meta’s messaging network WhatsApp, which malicious actors abuse by creating groups with multiple numbers of unknown users.
In this sense, they use these groups as bait to try to scam the users who make them up, usually by discussing topics about cryptocurrency investments, fraudulent job offers in which they offer a lot of money for little work or by sending information and links to fake websites.
How do these scams work through strange WhatsApp groups?
These are usually groups containing foreign telephone numbers. This can be seen by the telephone prefix, which, instead of being the one used in the United States, for example (+1), is preceded by another number. For example, the prefix for Taiwan would be +886.
This modus operandi can lead users to become trusting and, therefore, access or register on fraudulent websites, through which cybercriminals can steal their personal information or install malware. The same happens simply by clicking on certain links or accessing content shared in these groups.
Therefore, in these situations, and in order to avoid falling into possible scams, it is important to prevent unknown users from adding other users to strange WhatsApp groups without their permission.
To avoid this practice in WhatsApp, you have to access the Meta application settings and, in the privacy tab, simply select the option ‘My contacts’within the section of ‘Who can add me to groups’.
This way, only phone numbers saved as contacts will be able to add the user in question to WhatsApp groups, thus preventing unknown people and potential scammers from interacting with new groups.
In addition to all of this, if you are part of a strange group, you can also choose to report the group, in situations where there are indications that it may be a fraudulent group or part of a scam.
Source: With information from EUROPA PRESS