Top 10 Whatsapp Scams – How To Detect And Avoid Them

January 24, 2023 By Nick Anderson No Comments 11 minutes

Over two billion people across the globe use WhatsApp, and America alone has over 80 million active users of WhatsApp. But it doesn’t make Whatsapp a top-tier app by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately, like other social media platforms, WhatsApp scams are popular due to their massive user base and worldwide exposure.

Scammers using WhatsApp will often use common methods for hijacking. To be more precise, WhatsApp scammers are someone who wants your personal information, such as your credentials, banking details, personal data, and more. They act as trustworthy sources in an effort to acquire personal information that may be used for identity theft or for financial gain.

We have prepared a list of WhatsApp scams that have been reported in 2022, also the new WhatsApp scams are added here periodically, so check back often.

1. Trick for verification
2. “My cell phone broke” Scam on WhatsApp
3. Family Member Impersonation Scams
4. Wrong Number Scams
5. “Complete This Survey” scams
6. WhatsApp Romance Scams
7. WhatsApp Bank Scams
8. WhatsApp Crypto Scams
9. “You’ve Won Something” Scam
10. WhatsApp Scams on Other Platforms

Scams on WhatsApp in the Year 2022

Fraudsters have found new ways to use Whatsapp, which has led to periodic innovations in the form of more clever scams. WhatsApp scams may be found all over the internet, and scammers will frequently change the format of their messages to fool their targets. Thus, it is crucial to be wary of phishing and other malicious tricks on WhatsApp.

Many WhatsApp scams try to make the target believe they would get a large reward in exchange for completing the tasks at hand as fast as possible.  you may feel compelled to assist. There are three main tricks that scammers use:

• Theft of fiat or digital cash.
• Collect your identifying information by whatever means necessary.
• As a means of infecting your device with viruses.

By being aware of the most common tactics used by WhatsApp scammers, you may better defend yourself against them.

1. Trick for verification

This scam starts once the victim gets two messages in a brief period of time. In one of the messages, the sender claims to be a friend or relative who sent a verification number to the wrong account. They’ll then inquire about the victim’s recent 6-digit number.

If you’re making a new WhatsApp account or attempting to access your existing account from a different device, you’ll be prompted to provide a verification code. Here, the fraudster is seeking to get access to the victim’s account and requires a confirmation code to do so. It might be a fraud if you get a 6-digit verification number randomly out of the blue.

How to Avoid Tricks for verification?

If you get an OTP or confirmation code out of nowhere, just ignore it and share the fishy incident with WhatsApp via customer support. Don’t be fooled to share the details with anyone.

2. “My cell phone broke” Scam on WhatsApp

This Whatsapp scam is becoming common, people are getting aware of this scam. Malicious hackers pose as a friend or family member of the target in a Whatsapp chat and send them a text message from a “new” number saying that their “phone is broken.” In some cases, the scammer will sometimes say that the new number belongs to a friend to build trust.

The threat actor will then ask the targets to send the money quickly to a bank account to pay a bill, a fine, or something else that needs to be paid. Some people call this “push payment fraud.”

How to Avoid “My cell phone broke” Scam?

If you’re using WhatsApp and you get a message from a number you don’t recognize that says it’s from someone you know, ask for proof of identity, and don’t give out any money or personal information.

3. A WhatsApp Scam that includes a Family member

This scam is also known as the “Hi Mom, Hi Dad” scam. Obviously, who does not trust their family member? This is why family members are getting involved in more and more WhatsApp scams.

In a common case of this scam, the threat actor pretends to be a parent’s child with a new cell phone number.

Then, the scammer uses tricks like saying their online bank account isn’t working or that they lost files and pictures to trick the victim into transferring cash and/or personal information.

How to Avoid Scam Includes a Family Member?

If you’re using WhatsApp and you get a message from an unknown number that claims to be your child, ask them for proof of identity, and don’t give out any information or money.

4. Wrong Number Scams on WhatsApp

WhatsApp scams that use the wrong number have been around for a while, and they often use more delicate, lengthy ways to trick people.

They usually start with a message from an unknown number, introduce themselves or their business, and then say they share the influential details and portray an attractive intent in order to acquire money.

But instead of ending the conversation there, they might ask you for your name and where you live and eventually the scammer will ask if you want to invest in their business.

How to Avoid Wrong Number Scam?

In general, if you get a WhatsApp message from a number you don’t know, don’t answer, and definitely don’t give out any personal information. No real business will ask for investors in a random WhatsApp conversation.

5. “Fill out this survey” Scams on WhatsApp

Recently, a false and fraudulent message was roaming among WhatsApp users about a survey report. “Fill out a short survey” about their experiences with WhatsApp.

Users were also manipulated to pay a small amount of money in order to stay active on WhatsApp and eventually win a cash prize, free Amazon gifts, and smartphones if the survey was completed.

How to Avoid “Fill out this survey” Scams?

Use your senses. What kind of competition does it make sense to pay money to win money? What is it? Obviously, A fake one.

6. Romance Scams on WhatsApp

Even though romance scams often start on dating apps like Tinder. However, they have started on Whatsapp as well. You can immediately block and report accounts on almost all dating apps if you think they are acting weird.

But this means that scammers often try to move quickly to WhatsApp or other social media platforms to continue their social hacking activity and get a lot of money from people who are in love.

This type of romance scam started long ago when WhatsApp users were getting invitations to join a group for strangers looking for romantic relationships. When they clicked on the link, they were sent fake login pages where their information was stolen.

How to avoid romance scams?

Never put your account information into a link sent to you by a number you can’t verify, especially if it’s for a major site. You must also be able to read the URL and match it with the official website. You will have to be active with all the latest tools and updates to be able to cope with the modern world.

7. Scams on WhatsApp that Banks

At least one report has come in this year about a scammer pretending to be a bank on WhatsApp, which is another place people tend to trust.

In this scam, the scammer tries to trick you into sharing personal information while making it all look like it’s a real bank.

Scammers posing as banks have been reported on WhatsApp, another platform users have a tendency to put their faith in, at least once this year.

The WhatsApp scammer in this case uses a convincing fake bank website to try to get you to provide sensitive financial information.

How to Avoid Bank Scams?

First, you should see whether your bank has sent you any evidence that they possess your personal information. As a second point, you may always call your bank and speak with a representative. If you aren’t sure if a message from your bank is real or not, you can just start a different way to talk to them.

8. Crypto Scams on WhatsApp

Whatsapp scams hugely affect Cryptography or Cryptocurrencies because it is the best way to trick a youngster into believing that they actually have won something big. However, these are all fake and false. cryptocurrencies operate on the decentralized and immutable blockchain, and hackers and manipulators have a much harder time gaining access to and manipulating them. For this reason, you should know that any communication claiming that you have received bitcoin is bogus.

How to Avoid Crypto Scams?

It’s not wise to put your faith in a money-making strategy simply because many others are doing it. Making a living is never a game. So don’t be duped and put in the effort to get wealth without working hard. Also, you can also use a VPN to make sure the connection remains private. Simply, go to the FastestVPN website and buy FastestVPN.

9. “You’ve Got Something” Scams on WhatsApp

This is a type of phishing scam that is becoming more common on WhatsApp. It is a tried-and-true way to trick people into clicking on harmful links in emails or texts.

The provided link is sometimes extremely similar to the name of a legitimate website, but there are telltale signs that it is a scam, such as a sense of hurry in the scammer’s messages, scam text that seems to be from the false person, or a misspelled word in the URL.

How to Avoid “You’ve Got Something” Scams?

If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. This is a good rule to follow on the internet. Contact the customer service department of the company or business to find out if you really did win something. You can also use a VPN to make sure the connection remains private.

10. Scams that look like WhatsApp on other sites

Scams are not limited to the WhatsApp app itself, though. Since WhatsApp is used by a lot of people, it’s a great way to make phishing emails look real.

How to Avoid Replica WhatsApp Scams?

Social websites are evident and there is no other website that can copy them. Therefore, if you see anything fishy, report it immediately.

How to spot a WhatsApp Scam

Even if we’ve mentioned several of the most frequent WhatsApp scams, it doesn’t mean that there are no other scams. There are a few warning flags you should be aware of to ensure you don’t fall victim to such a scam.

• Scam messages will always arrive from an anonymous number as long as the fraudster hasn’t taken over someone’s WhatsApp account.
• Fraudsters who call you from an unusual number could claim to be a buddy (who is listed in your contacts) but that their number has changed.
• Scam emails often use sloppy English and have several spelling and punctuation mistakes.
• The message frequently conveys a feeling of urgency, such as an “act now” text, to persuade you to provide sensitive information or pay a price before it’s too late.
• Messages may begin amicably, but the topic of discussion may swiftly turn to money.
• The scammer can ask you to send money via a method that doesn’t need bank account information, like PayPal.
• You can try calling them, but they won’t pick up.

How to report a scam on WhatsApp

You may notify them if you think you may have fallen victim to a WhatsApp scam by doing the following actions:

• To report a scam on Android, open WhatsApp, tap More Options, and then go to Settings > Help > Contact Us.
• To report a scam on iOS, Open WhatsApp and tap Settings > Help > Contact Us.

How to report a phone number that seems suspicious

WhatsApp takes serious concerns about contact numbers that might be dangerous. Follow these steps to let WhatsApp know about a number you don’t trust:

• Open the chat with the person who seems suspicious.
• Find the contact name, group, or number in the chat details to get their account information.
• To report a contact or a group, scroll to the end of this page and click Report.

How do I keep myself safe on Whatsapp?

Do not open or click on any links in an email purporting to be from a well-known company if the message has misspelled words, an unusual layout, or was sent from an unfamiliar address. It’s always best to verify an email’s legitimacy by contacting the sender via an established method, just as you would with a bank or other business.

Additionally, many current antivirus packages include phishing protection and filtering, so it’s worthwhile to research various vendors.

Wrapping Up!

There are infinite scams and more are in the queue to make an entry and snatch away your hard earned money. Therefore, We strongly suggest you make some strong encryption by getting connected to the FastestVPN while you are using the Internet. Moreover, stay in touch with the technology to be able to distinguish between what is original and what is fake on the Internet.

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