Cyber crooks target NRIs with Whatsapp bait

Hyderabad: Cyber fraudsters are now hacking WhatsApp mobile numbers of Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and sending requests for money to people on their contact lists in the guise of medical emergencies and other needs. According to the police, this new way of cheating by impersonation and fake WhatsApp accounts was becoming very common, with the […]

Hyderabad: Cyber fraudsters are now hacking WhatsApp mobile numbers of Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and sending requests for money to people on their contact lists in the guise of medical emergencies and other needs.

According to the police, this new way of cheating by impersonation and fake WhatsApp accounts was becoming very common, with the Cyberabad Cybercrime wing recently receiving regular complaints on the same.

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“Fraudsters are hacking WhatsApp accounts of people by calling them and collecting the WhatsApp registration OTP citing various reasons. Using the compromised or hacked WhatsApp account, they request people on the contact list financial help by citing some emergency medical attention or similar reasons,” an official said.

Though local complaints too were coming in, the fraudsters appeared to be targeting mobile numbers of those in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and the United States and then communicating with their friends and family in India, requesting them for financial help. Believing those messaging them to be their relatives in other countries, many were falling prey to this trick.

According to the police, these cyber fraudsters send messages from a new number, which has the profile picture of the victim’s friend or relative, which is one of the easiest way to convince the victim. Thinking the message to be genuine, people end up transferring huge money into bank accounts sent by the crooks.

“Fraudsters are making calls and sending messages from anonymous numbers to people on WhatsApp using the profile picture of their close friends or relatives as bait. They start a conversation and put forth a request for sending money for an emergency in the family or towards medical expenses. They then extract as much money as possible from the people,” police said.

Once the money is transferred, they stop responding to messages or calls. Cybercrime experts warn citizens not to share their contact numbers on social media platforms, from where the crooks steal these numbers and start the entire process of duping others.

“Do not share your personal information or personal photos or videos with anybody. Avoid chatting through WhatsApp with unknown numbers or foreign numbers. Before responding to messages or calls from unknown persons, verify who they are,” officials said.