Rampant WhatsApp frauds keep Kolkata Police officers on toes
Times of India | 26 March 2025
Kolkata: WhatsApp accounts are getting hacked or compromised at an alarming rate, cops have warned."We are receiving several complaints of compromised WhatsApp accounts each day. This has seen a rapid rise from last month," said a senior divisional cyber cell official.
"You may receive a message on WhatsApp, asking you to click on a link and share the WhatsApp verification code. These forwards might come from people who are close to you. Sharing this code will give fraudsters access to your WhatsApp. If you receive such a message from your friend or relative, verify whether it is really your friend/relative who has sent that message," the cops wrote on social media.
Most recently, a group of cybercriminals, actively using this method from 2022, found a new way to cheat people on WhatsApp. The scam begins with a message that they send to their target. It is a simple message like ‘Hello Mum' or ‘Hello Dad'. The scammers send a message posing as the target's children — who stay away from their parents — and seek monetary help saying they are in danger.
In the warning issued by cops, they also claimed a third modus operandi. Cops claim that in this particular modus operandi, victims usually get a call from an unknown number on a prevalent online topic, an interview or issues like IT returns, the IPL or bank-related documents.