2023-10-04 10:07:45
The Valais cantonal police have been informed of several cases of hacking of WhatsApp accounts. She calls for caution and advises “strongly the population to activate the double authentication offered by the application”.
To begin, the scammer sets up a WhatsApp account using the telephone number of his future victim, the police explained in a press release on Wednesday. The application then automatically transmits a unique code by SMS to the telephone number linked to the account.
Taking advantage of a flaw in the validation process, the scammer manages to obtain this code and take control of the WhatsApp account, adds the cantonal police. From this moment, it will activate two-factor authentication to prevent the victim from recovering it.
In detail, the validation process can be done via telephone, or even via a message left on the answering machine, if no one picks up. But since users rarely set a new password following installing their voicemail, it is easily hackable, also warns the national center for cybersecurity on its website.
Request for money
In the cases reported in Valais, the scammer contacted all registered contacts to ask them for money. He also demanded a large sum of money from his victim in exchange for the recovery of his WhatsApp account, details the police who call not to pay money “even if the crooks insistently follow up with you” and to keep all the evidence.
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