27-05-2022
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Hackers can take over your WhatsApp account after making a simple phone call. However, WhatsApp fraud lurks. This scam is currently being warned. But is this really true? What about that? In this article we explain that.
On the technology platform Androidworld.nl is currently most famous news: Warning message about a scam via WhatsApp phone. as well as Android Planet Report it He warns his followers of this alleged fraud.
The story goes that by convincing the potential victim to make a simple call, hackers can take over their WhatsApp account in an instant. Victims are thus blocked, immediately lose access to their account, and then hackers take them down.
Warnings about this scam also appear here and there on Facebook. The fraud help desk also reported this fraud on Twitter, albeit not via the company’s account, but through the director’s account.
First and foremost, it is always useful to warn people about possible forms of fraud, scam, scam and deception.
But in this particular case there are a number of obstacles. There are a number of elements in the story that we believe are based on “it does not appear to have happened in the way it was described”.
Reason enough to take a look at exactly what’s going on.
How will this WhatsApp hoax work?
Androidworld tech website states that this scam starts over the phone. More specifically in the form of a telephone conversation, that is.
A hacker or scammer on the other end of the line will convince people to enter a certain symbol on their keyboard. is this happened before? Then those people are instantly logged out of WhatsApp and the hacker can take over the account.
The source of the message appears to be 91Mobiles.com, where Similar warning on the state. However, this is an Indian tech blog, so it remains to be seen how relevant it is for Dutch consumers in this regard. All of this is all the more reason to take a look at exactly how the fork works and let you know if you really have to worry.
If we keep reading from the source, we see something amazing. It’s not about entering a code, it’s about calling a phone number. Victims should call a ten-digit phone number with the prefix *67* or *405*†
And do they do this? They are then instantly logged out of WhatsApp, and the hacker immediately has full control of the account so he can cheat on it to his heart’s content. At least that’s the story.
Can you log out of WhatsApp by phone?
And this is exactly the last aspect about which we have some doubts. It is not possible to log out of WhatsApp at all, at least not in the iOS or Android mobile version. This is only possible in the WhatsApp browser version.
There is simply no option in the app to log out of your phone. Do you close the app completely? However, you will not be logged out, because the next time you open the app, you will see the most recent conversations again.
In theory, you can “sign out” by manually clearing cache and saved data in your phone’s settings, whether or not after backing up your conversation history. On Android, you have to sign in again the next time you open WhatsApp, on iOS, you have to delete the app and install it again. But of course this is not the same as ‘logout’.
There is an alternative option to actually log out, so to speak, through Settings And the the account to the option delete my account Togo. But this, of course, is not intended here either.
But the fact that you immediately “sign out” by calling a simple phone number and lose control of your WhatsApp account, we really consider it questionable. There must be more for this scenario to happen.
What risks are you taking?
On the other hand, there is a real possibility that you will receive a verification code from WhatsApp without asking for it. This may be the case, for example, if someone Trying to register a WhatsApp account with your phone number or trying to link your existing WhatsApp account to a new device.
In this scenario, it may happen that after receiving this code, you will be asked by phone or text message to forward this code. However, it is very important that you do so Start he did. With this information, people can try to take over your account.
Perhaps this scenario is actually what is meant here and the phone scam being talked about is actually an attempt to get this verification code from you. But that’s not how it was described.
How can you protect your WhatsApp account from hackers?
Fortunately, we have a ready and useful answer to this question: switch Two-step verification in.
Not so long ago, we wrote a useful and practical help article about enabling two-step verification. Want to know how to enable two-step verification on WhatsApp? Then quickly read the article below!
Source: Androidplanet.nl / Androidworld.nl / 91mobiles.com