2023-11-01 22:32:41
The delicate economic crisis that Argentines are going through means that more and more criminals are hunting for those cell phone users capable of doing anything to make money quickly and without considering the consequences. The tempting proposal comes via WhatsApp from an unknown number and, faced with the need to pay debts or face daily expenses, very few notice that they are new modalities of the “uncle’s story”, but in a digital version.
The three that have proliferated the most in recent months among unsuspecting users were the scam that uses the name Mercado Pago to leave you without funds in your account, the proposal to give “likes” to videos on social networks in exchange for money and the theft of your WhatsApp line to borrow money from your contacts or request exchange for dollars.
To avoid falling into these traps, it is necessary to be aware of how these scammers operate.
Receive money for liking videos
WhatsApp users receive a juicy financial proposal in exchange for “liking” YouTube and TikTok videos. To convince them, the scammers show them screenshots with supposed transactions of thousands of pesos made to supposed participants in this dynamic. Offer $50 in exchange for each “like,” with the excuse of promoting certain profiles of celebrities or influencers.
The trap consists of sending links to videos or posts for users to view and then, before making the first payment for the “work”, they ask for an initial deposit to enable the rewards system. When the victim makes the transfer, the criminals block it and there is no way to recover the money.
Faced with this deception, WhatsApp recommended not starting conversations with unknown people who have numbers from abroad, nor providing personal information or money to anyone until their identity is verified.
Among the most suspicious characteristics that the messages may have, the following must be taken into account: they have spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, and they request that you open a link or activate new functions through it, taking control of your cell phone and accessing your contacts. Finally, it is necessary to block and report the sender, as well as delete the message when it arrives.
Scams in the name of Mercado Pago
From Mercado Pago they warned of an increase in telephone scams in which criminals pose as fintech employees and contact the user through WhatsApp or a phone call with the excuse that a large purchase was detected from your account. of the virtual wallet that requires to be validated or canceled, in the event that it has not been done.
To do this, scammers request personal information and a password with the excuse of being able to “help.” Once the information is obtained, they enter the account and transfer the money they find to the unfunded account.
Therefore, if you receive emails, messages or supposed calls from Mercado Pago, you should not provide any type of information or allow yourself to be rushed into making incorrect decisions. If this happens, you must block contact or cut off communication and communicate with the company through its official channels.
Deception campaign on WhatsApp for identity theft
It starts with an unexpected message from a friend suggesting a mistake sending a six-digit verification code to your phone and asking you to resend it. The victim, having not requested any code, could believe that the message is genuine, allowing criminals to register and access their WhatsApp account on another device. After resending the code, the cybercriminal registers the victim’s account on another phone, preventing access to the original account.
Links, unknown numbers and pages that request personal data can be a warning sign
Subsequently, they activate two-step verification, preventing the victim from recovering the account, and then they carry out scams through emergency messages requesting money from the victim’s contacts.
Once they access your contacts, the scammer starts with a message from an unknown number pretending to be a known person, maintaining the appearance of the legitimate profile, including photo and account name, sometimes using nicknames for greater credibility. After a brief conversation, they consult about the purchase of dollars at a price lower than the official one.
If someone shows interest, a money transfer is requested to complete the supposed transaction. Once the money has been transferred, the scammer promises to deliver dollars, but blocks the user immediately, keeping the money without fulfilling their part of the deal.
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