WhatsApp OTP scam: What is it, how it works, other things you need to know

A new scam has surfaced and the target this time is the popular instant messaging app WhatsApp. Hackers are sending texts to people pretending to be a friend or relative and asking for immediate help stating some emergency. The Whatsapp OTP scam is similar to other recent scams where hackers target to gain access to one-time password (OTP). Here is how it works and why one must be careful: 

What is this WhatsApp OTP scam?

Hackers can contact you via SMS, pretending to be your friend or relative, and will ask for an one time password (OTP) they may have sent on your number by mistake. 

If you share the OTP then hackers will get access to your account and all your personal messages and media. The hacker can then send messages to your friends/relatives and can also ask money from them.

What to do if this happens?

One should immediately reset WhatsApp and log in again. To avoid the scam, it's always advisable to not share any information without confirming if the message is genuine. Also, you may activate the two-factor authentication on WhatsApp to increase your account's security. 

The new scam poses a serious threat as recently, WhatsApp received the nod for its UPI-based Payments facility from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) which also uses OTPs for transactions. In view of this, if your WhatsApp account gets compromised, then not just the data, hackers are likely to get hold of your bank account details. 

There have been incidents of frauds on other UPI apps as well in the past.