A dangerous scam is currently active again on WhatsApp. This is about the so-called verification code of the messenger. If you fall for the scam, you lose access to your account. But how Can someone hack your WhatsApp account?
Scammers are now trying to transfer WhatsApp accounts to a new number with a new trick. The hackers require the so-called verification code. Anyone who passes this code on will lose access to their WhatsApp account.
Users first receive a message via WhatsApp. It says, ‘Hey! Can you give me a hand? You will get a text message right away. Can you forward me the code in the message?’ These messages do not necessarily come from a strange number. Senders can also be the accounts of friends whose accounts have already been taken over.
In a second step, users receive an SMS from WhatsApp. This shows the WhatsApp code and a link to verify your own phone.
At the moment, fraudsters apparently first initiate the code to be sent to the user, then shortly afterward users receive this message which is a slightly modified version of the message that is currently spreading. It says, ‘Hello, sorry, I accidentally sent you a 6-digit code via SMS. Can you please pass it on to me? It’s urgent!’
WhatsApp advises, of course, not to pass this code on under any circumstances. Because fraudsters can take over the WhatsApp account from the combination of mobile phone number and code and the victims are locked out of WhatsApp. But the fraudsters are betting that the user first reads the second message using the code that was supposedly accidentally sent and then forwards the six-digit number without really worrying about it.
Register your own account again is the best way to deactivate your hacked WhatsApp. As WhatsApp writes in an FAQ, it does happen that users accidentally enter a different mobile phone number than their own. The code should therefore protect against strangers accidentally or intentionally taking over your own WhatsApp account.
Anyone can log in to WhatsApp again using their phone number if they are locked out of their account. Users again receive a code that they have to enter. After that, the foreign user is automatically logged out of WhatsApp. If the user has activated the two-step verification process, users will now be asked to enter another code that they do not know.
Also Read: WhatsApp: Spy App Draws Attention To Data Protection
According to WhatsApp, however, it is sufficient and advised to wait seven days. You can then login without the second code. If the account was taken over by a scammer, you should inform your contacts about it in any case, like, by SMS. You should report the theft of your WhatsApp account to the police, just in case, fraud is attempted through the stolen WhatsApp account.
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