2024-09-08 05:04:38
When you install WhatsApp on your cell phone, whether Android or iPhone, you will not only be able to chat with your friends, family, among other people, the instant messaging application also allows users to make free calls or video calls, as long as they are connected to the Internet. Unfortunately, these functions are being used by many cybercriminals who contact you from foreign numbersHow to avoid it? We will tell you here.
Why are you receiving WhatsApp calls or video calls from foreign numbers?
If an unknown person calls you on WhatsApp, their name will not appear on the screen, but their phone number and country code will appear. If they are from Peru, you will see the prefix +51, but criminals are mostly using numbers belonging to foreign countries such as Nigeria, Philippines, Ukraine, etc., which have three-digit prefixes. What happens if you answer?
Because these foreign numbers use eye-catching photos on their WhatsApp profiles, many people answer, believing that it is a relative or someone they know. However, it is a cybercriminal who aims to steal your money, either through deception or by extorting you. In this post we are going to explain what both scenarios involve.
In some cases, criminals will offer you a part-time job that will allow you to earn large amounts of money for performing relatively simple tasks such as commenting on a YouTube video, leaving a review on a website, etc. Once they convince you, they will put you in a WhatsApp (or Telegram) group with other people to whom they will give daily tasks.
The first few days you will earn a minimal amount of money in order to get you to trust this ‘job’, but then they will say that they need an investment to unlock other levels and earn more. Those who do not accept are removed from the group, while those who do believe in this business model stay and end up depositing money that they will never see return. Finally, they are blocked.
According to ExpertoTech, a content creator specializing in technology, the other method is more dangerous, since criminals want you to answer in order to record your voice and take screenshots of your face. Once they obtain this information, they will use artificial intelligence tools to create extortion videos in which you appear as the protagonist.
Cybercriminals will send you this AI-generated video and start extorting you. They will tell you that they have access to your contact list and that they will share it with all your friends, family, and other people unless you make a deposit. Many people agree to the deal and end up transferring large sums of money to the criminal.
How to block WhatsApp calls and video calls from unknown numbers?
Mark Zuckerberg’s company Meta knows that there are unscrupulous people who use their messaging app to scam people through calls and video calls. For this reason, they added an option that allows you to automatically block them; that is, if someone who is not on your contact list contacts you on WhatsApp, your device will not ring, you will only see the notification. Here are the steps:
Go to WhatsApp settings
Go to the ‘privacy’ section
Click on ‘calls’
The option ‘silence calls from unknown numbers’ will appear
By default it will be disabled, you must enable it.