Kolkata police issues warning about WhatsApp hacking, says not to share OTP

Kolkata police issued a warning against fraudsters, who are hacking users' Facebook profiles and connecting with the people in their friend lists through Messenger and asking for money

Social media has become one of the most important things in the world in a very short period. People use the internet, especially social media, to share their views, know about the latest happenings around the world and interact with their friends online.

On one hand, social media leverages several benefits to the users, but at the same time, it also becomes a prime tool for fraudsters to use social media platforms for cybercrimes.

One such popular social media application is WhatsApp, which is used to chat, share status and much more.

Recently, the Kolkata Police cyber cell issued a warning for WhatsApp and Facebook users after receiving complaints from a student and a businessman in the city. 

According to a Times of India report, cybercriminals are hacking users' Facebook profiles and connecting with the people in their friend lists through Messenger.

The scammers try to contact the users, showing that he is running Yoga classes. Kolkata city observed several such scams that took place on the occasion of World Yoga Day on June 21.

How does fraud take place?

The fraudsters contact the victim's contact lists and ask them to join Yoga classes organised by them. A link is sent to the contacts and asked to click on it and share the six-digit OTP.

Once they do the same, the accused can now access their WhatsApp from different devices. The OTP was the WhatsApp verification code. Once the user shares the code with the fraudster, the user loses access to their WhatsApp account, reported Times of India (TOI).

Why have scammers hacked WhatsApp accounts?

The fraudster then pretends to be a victim and asks for financial assistance from the victim's contact with a promise of being repaid. In some of the cases, the fraudsters ask the victim to invest in cryptocurrency to get back access to their WhatsApp account. 

Kolkata police warned WhatsApp and Facebook users to be aware of such frauds and scams through their Facebook page. Kolkata police shared a message that reads, “WhatsApp Getting Hacked! If you receive this kind of message and if any person on your WhatsApp contacts list (even if known) asks you to forward the same, please don't do so. Fraudsters are using this to take control of your WhatsApp account. We have received a few such complaints and seek your cooperation." 

The Kolkata police also shared a screenshot of a message where the WhatsApp code is being asked to be shared.