The National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) has detected two new types of fraud through WhatsApp that could be related, the Institute has reported through the Internet Security Office (OSI) website.
In the first case the victim is extorted and defamed through his WhatsApp contacts due to an alleged loan and recent default.
The initial loan is made through an application designed for it and after a day passes, defamatory messages begin to arrive to their contacts.
In the second case, cyber criminals impersonate the identity of the victim and ask their WhatsApp contacts for an amount of money.
In this ‘modus operandi’, the cybercriminal creates a fake profile with the name and photo of the victim, while the phone from which the profile was created is an international number.
The Incibe, based in León, recommends affected users that no payment or transfer of money is made under any circumstancesat the same time that the information must be contrasted and investigate who is requesting it.
It also recommends that, if an application has been installed and a loan has been requested through it, it should be removed and an attempt should be made to contact the service that made the loan through its website.
“It is advisable scan the device with an updated antivirus to rule out any type of malware”, added Incibe.
In the event that the blackmail has been accessed and the payment of bitcoins has been made, it is necessary to collect all the evidence available (screenshots, e-mails or messages) and contact the State Security Forces and Bodies to file a complaint.