The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) has reported a new scam involving WhatsApp, with several complaints already filed.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has also received a complaint regarding this scam.
What is this new scam?
The scam involves a WhatsApp message requesting money, sent from the account of a known contact.
The message claims an urgent need for funds and asks the recipient to transfer a certain amount to a specified account.
CERT has received four complaints about this scam so far.
Senior Engineer Charuka Damunupola from CERT explained that if you use WhatsApp, you might receive a message from someone in your contact list asking for money.
Since the request comes from a known contact, many people are tempted to comply.
CERT advises the public to remember that these messages might be the result of the contact’s account being hacked. They recommend not transferring any money without verifying the request through another means of communication.
The scam often occurs because the victim unknowingly shares their One-Time Password (OTP) with an external party during the WhatsApp registration process.
After the account is hacked, cybercriminals use the contact list to send messages requesting money.
