North India Statesman
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Technology has made tremendous progress in the current digital age. Technology is being used for many good purposes. But along with good works, WhatsApp is also used on a large scale to cheat people and make money from them. Scamsters constantly search for new ways to cheat people with the help of technology. In the last few months, other new scams have started, which are cheating on simple, innocent people and money from them.
Scamsters often use social media platforms to cheat people. From Telegram to WhatsApp, scammers are cheating people by sending fake calls and messages on many social media platforms. A new way of cheating people by using social media platform WhatsApp has come out. Image scams are happening on a large scale on social media platform WhatsApp nowadays. In this scam, scammers send an image to people and when users click on this image and download it, all the user’s information goes to the scammers and the users’ bank accounts are empty. Recently a similar incident has come to light. (Photo courtesy – Pinterest)
WhatsApp image scam is being cheated by users
As the name suggests, this scam is related to photographs. Lakhs of rupees are being cheated from people by clicking on the photo received from unknown numbers on WhatsApp. Scamsters are vacating bank accounts of people without any OTP. Therefore, this scam is considered more dangerous than other scams and frauds. Because WhatsApp is used to share photos and videos along with messaging and calling. Scamsters are now taking advantage of this.
WhatsApp image scam
According to media reports, a new case has come to light in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Here a person downloaded the photo sent on WhatsApp from the unknown number and in a few moments his bank account was deducted from Rs 2 lakh. The scam involves sending photos of hidden malware through WhatsApp or similar messaging app. Scamsters hide the code in image files using technology called stakeography. When users download an image sent by scammers or open it by clicking on it, the malware is installed on their device without the user information.
Malware makes access to data on the phone such as bank login details, OTP and password. In some cases, this may allow scamsters to control the device from a distance. Some scamsters make phone calls to ensure whether users have opened photos or not.
How to avoid this WhatsApp scam?
- Users have to take special care of some things to prevent such online scams.
- Do not download any photos obtained on WhatsApp from any unknown number.
- There is an option in the setting of WhatsApp through which you can download the photo Auto.
- You can close this feature.
- Ignore and block suspected calls and messages.
- Tell others about such scams so that they are careful.
- Report any incident on the official cyber crime portal https://cybercrime.gov.in.
