You’d think this would go without saying, but when random folks ask you for passwords, account numbers, or verification codes on the internet — that’s pretty much always going to end poorly.
Unfortunately, a reminder is very much in order, per the Singapore Police Force. It said yesterday that a new scam making the rounds involves tricking WhatsApp users into sharing screenshots of their verification codes, which the messaging service occasionally demands for access.
Once these scammers have their hands on the code, the victims lose all access to their account, which then in turn becomes the bait used to lure even more victims.
“[A]fter taking over a victim’s WhatsApp account, scammers would post a fake screenshot of a WhatsApp account verification code in chat groups using the account, under the guise of alerting chat group members to WhatsApp account takeover scams,” police explained on their website.
Creepy, right?
So to protect yourself from falling victim to the scam, never (ever) share your verification code with others. The police also advised the public to adopt the following measures:
- Beware of unusual requests received over WhatsApp, even if they appear to come from a WhatsApp contact.
- Always call your friend to verify the authenticity of the request, but do not do so through the social media platform as the account might have been taken over by scammers.
- Protect your WhatsApp account by enabling the “Two-Step Verification” feature, which is available under “Account” in the “Settings” tab of your WhatsApp application.
Us: 1
Villainous scammers: 0
For more advice on such scams, call the National Crime Prevention Council’s anti-scam helpline at 1800-722- 6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg.
