Due to an increase in cyberattacks, police are warning the public to use digital networks, especially WhatsApp, with caution. Cybercriminals target users by inviting them to click on unfamiliar numbers or by using phishing schemes, in which victims are deceived into divulging personal information by means of phony messages.
These attacks frequently result in the loss of private data, such as bank account information, and occasionally extortion of funds from the victims’ contacts. Authorities have pointed out that account owners usually click on malicious websites to initiate these att@cks.
People are advised to report and disregard messages from contacts they are not familiar with. High-profile people, including as influential people on social media, prominent government officials, and members of the media, are the primary targets of sc@mmers. But anyone can become a victim. Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the spokesperson for the national police stated that authorities are working diligently to apprehend the perpetrators.
“There is a rampant cyberattack targeting senior government officials, media personnel, and people across the country, where messages are sent from unknown numbers, usually foreign numbers. The moment you click on a link, you will be ha*cked,” he said.
Phishing, a common tactic, involves deceiving individuals into providing sensitive data through fraudulent emails or messages. With the rise of mobile messaging platforms like WhatsApp, sc@mmers have adapted their strategies, creating urgent and convincing scenarios to manipulate users.
Comm Nyathi emphasised the need for the public to stay alert and treat messages from unknown numbers with caution. “The public should desist from opening links from unknown sources, and as the police, we are using resources at our disposal to flush out these suspects,” he added.
After taking over accounts, scammers approach the victim’s connections and ask for money, frequently posing as an emergency. Sc@mmers use WhatsApp to send urgent messages to all of their contacts, pretending to be in need of money.
They connect with all of their friends on Facebook. Numerous people have become victims of these fra*uds. In one case, scammers sent a message claiming to be in a severe financial predicament after ha*cking a high-ranking government official’s phone.
“I’m trying to send some money to someone for treatment; it’s not going through. I have issues with my account; can you help me send it to the person’s account directly? I will refund it back immediately once my transfer is active.”
The h@cker created a sense of urgency, claiming to need help for a medical treatment payment, but the message lacked specific details about the treatment or the recipient.
While some recipients grew suspicious, others unfortunately fell victim, with two individuals reportedly losing money, one sending US$250 and another transferring ZiG500.
The matter has been reported to the police. These scammers allegedly use lost or st0len identity documents to register new SIM cards, which they then employ to perpetrate cybercrimes. They often use foreign numbers to send deceptive messages. The scammers employ many tactics, including messages promising free data, such as “Click this link to get 50GB of free data,” or claiming a large sum of money, such as “You have won $100,000; click this link to collect your prize.”
Deceptive messages claiming a prominent individual has leaked a sensitive video are also used to entice recipients to click a malicious link. Clicking on these links can lead to disastrous consequences, including compromising the security of the victim’s WhatsApp account.
Ha*ckers are also exploiting the “WhatsApp Forward Call” feature to gain unauthorised access to victims’ accounts and intercept incoming calls. This scam typically begins with a deceptive message, email, or phone call that tricks the recipient into dialing a phone number containing a man-machine interface code. If the individual falls for the ruse, their incoming calls will be automatically forwarded to the attacker’s number.
Once the attacker has successfully forwarded the victim’s calls, they can install WhatsApp, register the compromised number, and request a verification code via phone call, ultimately gaining control of the account.
As cyber thre@ts continue to evolve, the police urge the public to remain vigilant and cautious when interacting with unknown contacts online.
