Vicious WhatsApp OTP Scam Looting Innocents; Know How You Can Stay Safe

For long Citizens have been warned by cyber experts and even government and financial institutions to never share One-Time-Password (OTP) with anybody on phone. And yet, many are falling prey to the tricks played by hackers and lose hard-earned money or sensitive information.

Quite recently, WhatsApp users are getting duped by cyber criminals having same methodology. They pose as friends or a desperate fellow citizen, who accidentally sent a 6-digit OTP code to the wrong phone number (yours). They ask the victim to pass it on to them so that they can complete an urgent money transaction.

Red alert: major WhatsApp hack going around. Dozens of friends/family hacked. Simple MO, you get this urgent WA msg from a friend, asking to share a code sent to you by SMS. Then they take over your WA and send the phishing msg to your contacts.

NEVER SHARE AN OTP WITH ANYONE pic.twitter.com/kdCkmTA21N

— PKR | প্রশান্ত | پرشانتو (@prasanto) November 19, 2020

For instant attention, they give dramatic excuses that they have to pay hospital bills or college fees. DO NOT FALL FOR THESE ACTS.

If not, they will take over the WhatsApp account on the web and access your contacts' phone numbers and also photos, financial details if shared on the messenger app with a loved person. This will further incite a vicious cycle, as the bad actor will take note of the contact details and play the same trick on your friends and family members.

• WhatsApp users or any mobile phone owners never share an OTP with anybody via SMS or on a phone call.

Also, it is advised to set up two-factor authentication to safeguard from hackers taking over your account.

Here's how to activate two-step security verification on WhatsApp: 

Step 1: Open WhatsApp Settings.

Step 2: Tap Account > Two-step verification > Enable.

Step 3: Enter a six-digit PIN of your choice and confirm it. Provide an email address you can access or tap Skip if you don’t want to add an email address. 

Note: It is highly recommended to add an email address as this allows you to reset two-step verification, and helps safeguard your account.

Step 4: Tap Next.

Step 5: Confirm the email address and tap Save or Done.

Not just WhatsApp, cybercriminals posing as Income Tax officials or bank executives, use emails and phone calls to trick people to reveal their financial details. Beware of these activities.