WhatsApp Scam Alert: Staying Safe

WhatsApp is no doubt the most popular messaging app in the world and such large user base makes it a good target either for good or for bad.

Here in Nigeria (can’t say much about other location at the moment), starting from mid to late 2019, some dubious people started using this platform to scam people of their hard-earned money. They introduced a money doubling scheme whereby unsuspecting and ignorant users are deceived into paying money in hope of getting double in less than 24 hours and so many people have fallen victim of this.

While this kind of scheme is not really new, what makes it unique is that they hijack WhatsApp account of even more ignorant and unsuspecting innocent people and use them to lure their victims.

These people being used are usually people with clean records which makes it easy to believe when messages are sent from such to various groups where they belong with victims not knowing that those behind the messages are not who they thought they were.

Late 2019, people started getting aware of an inbuilt security feature WhatsApp just introduced and which makes it hard for someone to just hijack your account, this is called 2-Step Verification.

Multi-factor authentication is an authentication method in which a computer user is granted access only after successfully presenting two or more pieces of evidence to an authentication mechanism: knowledge, possession, and inherence. Two-factor authentication is a type, or subset, of multi-factor authentication

Many people say “how can I be stupid enough to just give an unknown caller my code?”(this has been the usual method they use in hijacking user accounts); but the truth is, enable can be vulnerable at any point in time which is why you need to enable extra protection.

I got a call from a friend asking how can he retrieve his WhatsApp account that was hacked? It was after hearing him out fully that I realized the gravity of this issue and the main reason that prompted me to write this piece.

This same 2FA is supposed to protect you in case your account is to be hijacked and hopefully before the whole process is completed, you will realise that you are being scammed, but now even the hijackers are the ones activating the 2FA after hijacking account making it almost impossible for the real owners of the account to get back in.

Initially what these scrupulous people do is that they change your phone number immediately after hijacking your accounts and gain access to your groups and contacts to perpetrate their acts but now they have also smartened up.

Once the account is hijacked from you, they proceed straight to activate the 2-Step Verification, they add a new pin and a new email address and what this does is that it automatically blocks you out from accessing your own account later or even reactivating it and they continue to use your number to perpetrate their evil.

This is exactly why you need to activate this 2-Step Verification on your account immediately after reading this in order to secure yourself and protect your friends and family.

HOW TO ACTIVATE WHATSAPP 2-STEP VERIFICATION ON YOUR PHONE