WhatsApp is one of the most widely used messaging apps on the globe, and it is no stranger to frauds of many types. A new scam has appeared that may take control of your WhatsApp account with just a phone call.
Rahul Sasi, the CEO of cyber security firm CloudSEK, confirmed the news. According to him, victims of this WhatsApp exploit receive a phone call from an attacker who tries to convince them to dial “**67*<10 digit number> or *405*<10 digit number>.” Your WhatsApp account is locked out and the hacker has total access within minutes after contacting.
Sasi continues by explaining what happens behind the scenes. According to him, the number the attacker forces you to dial is a call forwarding request for one of India’s most famous cellular service providers, Jio or Airtel. The attacker is just attempting to encourage you to redirect your call to a phone number that they control.
The attacker begins WhatsApp’s account registration process for your phone number and selects the option to get the One Time Password (OTP) via phone call after the call is forwarded. However, because your phone is on, the OTP is forwarded to the hacker’s phone, allowing him to gain access to your account.
The scam is common in India, but it can be used anywhere because every nation and service provider uses the same service request number.
We encourage our readers to be wary of any strange WhatsApp calls or messages. It is preferable to ignore such calls or texts and to alert others if you receive something similar.
