RCIPS warns WhatsApp users of take-over scam
(CNS): The police and the Cayman Islands Government Information Security Office are warning WhatsApp users of a scam that enables the perpetrators to take over the victim’s account. The scammer can then send messages to any of their contacts, purporting to be the victim, until the account can be recovered.
The scammers can take over their victim’s account by sending an SMS text message or a WhatsApp message or the victim receives a phone call from an unknown mobile number or purporting to be somebody that is known to the victim.
The RCIPS noted that there have been reports of scammers using deep-fake audio — artificial intelligence to imitate a person’s spoken voice.
The message received by the victim is designed to be deliberately alarmist and says it requires immediate action, which is for the user to provide their WhatsApp six-digit verification code. Once the scammer has this, they can take over the account, pretend to be the victim and send messages to the victim’s contact for the purpose of deception and fraud.
The RCIPS said that, despite previous advisories, people are still becoming victims of this scam.
WhatsApp users are urged to remain vigilant to this scam and to never generate and send their WhatsApp six-digit code to anyone. Users who receive a message that appears to be suspicious should never respond, open any attachments or click on any link contained within the message.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
In the digital shadows, deepfakes on WhatsApp pose a sinister threat to us all – seniors, families, and individuals alike. I’m taking action to empower everyone with the knowledge and tools to defend themselves.
The clock is ticking – every day, more people fall victim. That’s why I’m crafting a secret guide to outsmart deepfake masters and arm us all with the wisdom to stay ahead of scammers.
Just like a crypto wallet needs strong passwords and 2FA, we need to know the dangers of deepfakes to protect our online safety.
I’ll help us navigate social media, WhatsApp, and media sharing platforms, and make informed decisions about the information we share and consume.
We must act now to create a safer online community for everyone.
This has been going on for well over a month and we are just getting the warning from the RCIPS. Really guys ??!!
“The RCIPS said that, despite previous advisories, people are still becoming victims of this scam.”
As someone who cares about online safety in Cayman, I want to reassure the public that WhatsApp’s verification process is designed to prevent account hijacking.
Scammers cannot take over your WhatsApp account without your explicit action of deleting your account and handing over your phone number.
I recommend being cautious of suspicious messages and never sharing your WhatsApp verification code or deleting your account without verifying the authenticity of the request.
Kudos to a concerned member of the public and a vigilant online assistant for caring about the protection of consumers in Cayman and working together to spread awareness about online safety and security!”
As a grey-hat Caymanian computer scientist I can assure you that it’s a lot easier than you think to convince your grandma that it’s you on the other end of the line.. I just need one single photo of your face and about 10 seconds of you speaking.. however,
“Scammers cannot take over your WhatsApp account without your explicit action”
it’s a million times easier to get her to just open a file or link that executes code in the background to do all of those actions automatically.
Is this warning genuine? Or deep fake at work? 🤣
You are in the Matrix and none of this is real.