The Lower Saxony Criminal Police Office in Germany as warned WhatsApp users on the dangers of adding new phone numbers. The German Press Agency says these numbers are usually from callers who are conmen wanting to establish communication via an SMS.
Stay Safe: Avoid Suspicious WhatsApp Numbers
One of them is based on receiving a voice message that may be received by a computer and can say something like “Hello, I would like to discuss with you a new job offer. Please add me on WhatsApp." Although the message that is being received may contain information that is innocent and yes may even be hyped, then it is usually a trick through which the user is carefully lured into a trap.
Governments also urge people to avoid adding those unknown numbers to their phone’s contact list. Speaking with such numbers boosts the risk of being subjected to fraud associated with phishing or any other online scams. Then one needs to be careful and confirm the source or information from a different source.
In case they ever get through to you, the police advise that you block the numbers as soon as you are through with them. Not only does blocking stop future messages from the recipient but it also safeguards oneself from any future scams.
The exposure to digital threats also persists as the threats become diverse and more complex. Therefore, by adhering to official safety measures, people can stay safe from swindlers who appear on the platform in order to deceive users of the app.
Beware of Money Laundering Scams via WhatsApp
German officials have pointed the increasing threat of money laundering scams associated with the suspicious numbers on WhatsApp. As they are received from international phone numbers such calls act asiphone hatching for the scams and include offers for fake jobs. These scams are designed to lure people into being middlemen for criminal operations of money-laundering and other related frauds that end users may engage in by default.
The perpetrators of these shams may arrive at such persons to manage properties or funds, for purposes that may not appear evil. However, once the user is in the process, the user could be unsuspectin gly pulled in as part of a bigger money laundering operation that could lead to legal consequences.
Another obvious risk is that the fraudsters may ask the user to provide his or her personal and sensitive information. Personal information requested by the users, such as identification details, bank account numbers or photos can be used for different criminal purposes. Once such details are out, the data can be used in other heinous activities or sold on black markets.
Sometimes, the criminals may convince people to initiate the transfer or receipt of belongs; this makes the incidence even worse. Such simple operations can be part of a large scheme of money laundering, where people use some accounts or persons who transportation money without understanding the crimes they involved in.
That is why, in order not to become a victim of such scams, users should remain careful when receiving invitations to have a job interview or providing personal information via unknown unknown international numbers. Experts encourage people to simply add such contacts to the blacklist and report them right away, this will prevent the leak of individual information as well as ensure the security of financial systems.
How to Protect Yourself from WhatsApp Scams
The Current Office of Criminal Police of Lower Saxony has provided some standard advice to enable a person not to fall prey to the scams especially those in the processing of employment scams and or money mules. The first piece of advice is to never let your account or address be used to transfer or forward money because this will make you an accomplice to the crime. Those asked to receive or forward parcels should be careful since this is a way the crooks use to transport the merchandise.
The next precaution should be not to open bank accounts on somebody’s request without knowing the role of such an account, even such popular ones as testing products. This is a common tricks that such people use with the aim of making some malicious actions, for example, get the login and a PIN code of a bank account. Also getting an account in another person’s name could also attract legal repercussions in that an account that was opened for carrying out illegitimate activities would attract legal implications.
As a second, users should refrain from interacting in video identification procedures, which often appear to be an actual preliminary stage of acquiring a job or any sort of identification. Such requests are usually made by scammers who aim to obtain genuinely personal data as, for example, identification data, biometric data that can be used for identity theft minimum other unlawful activities.
There is need to be very careful when one receives unknown messages or calls or scripts asking one to do something making promises of big returns. These are usually fake entities pretending to be from real companies or real job offers, which complicates an ordinary worker’s chance of identifying the fake from the real.
Thus, obeying these rules and paying attention will help to lower the chances for falling into a deception. To prevent a loss or become a victim of fraud and money laundering, the following measures should be taken; This is because exposure of such information can lead to dangerous consequences, which are associated with fraud and money laundering cases.
