How to hack a person whatsapp

9 Ways Your WhatsApp Messages Can Be Hacked

WhatsApp is a popular and easy to use messaging app. It has some security features, like the use of end-to-end encryption, which tries to keep your messages private. However, as good as these security measures are, WhatsApp still isn't immune to hacks, which can end up compromising the privacy of your messages and contacts.

Don't take our word for it: just go and see how many "How to hack WhatsApp" guides you'll find on the internet if you're persistent enough.

As knowing is half the battle, if we are simply aware of vulnerabilities, we can then take concrete steps to avoid comprising ourselves. To that end, here are a few ways that WhatsApp can be hacked.

1. Remote Code Execution via GIF

In October 2019, security researcher Awakened revealed a vulnerability in WhatsApp that let hackers take control of the app using a GIF image. The hack works by taking advantage of the way WhatsApp processes images when the user opens the Gallery view to send a media file.

When this happens, the app parses the GIF to show a preview of the file. GIF files are special because they have multiple encoded frames. This means that code can be hidden within the image.

If a hacker were to send a malicious GIF to a user, they could compromise the user's entire chat history. The hackers would be able to see who the user had been messaging and what they had been saying. They could also see users' files, photos, and videos sent through WhatsApp.

The vulnerability affected versions of WhatsApp up to 2.19.230 on Android 8.1 and 9. Fortunately, Awakened disclosed the vulnerability responsibly and Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, patched the issue. To keep yourself safe from this problem and similar, you should always keep WhatsApp updated.

2. The Pegasus Voice Call Attack

Another WhatsApp vulnerability discovered in early 2019 was the Pegasus voice call hack.

This scary attack allowed hackers to access a device simply by placing a WhatsApp voice call to their target. Even if the target didn't answer the call, the attack could still be effective. And the target may not even be aware that malware has been installed on their device.

This worked through a method known as buffer overflow. This is where an attack deliberately puts in so much code into a small buffer that it "overflows" and writes code into a location it shouldn't be able to access. When the hacker can run code in a location that should be secure, they can take malicious steps.

This attack installed an older and well-known piece of spyware called Pegasus. This allowed hackers to collect data on phone calls, messages, photos, and video. It even let them activate devices' cameras and microphones to take recordings.

This vulnerability is applicable on Android, iOS, Windows 10 Mobile, and Tizen devices. It was used by the Israeli firm, NSO Group, for example, which has been accused of spying on Amnesty International staff and other human rights activists. After news of the hack broke, WhatsApp was updated to protect it from this attack.

If you are running WhatsApp version 2.19.134 or earlier on Android or version 2.19.51 or earlier on iOS, then you need to update your app immediately.

Another way you're vulnerable to getting your WhatsApp hacked is through socially engineered attacks, which exploit human psychology to steal information or spread misinformation.

Security firm, Check Point Research, revealed one example of this attack, which they named FakesApp. This allowed people to misuse the quote feature in group chat and to alter the text of another person's reply. Essentially, hackers could plant fake statements that appear to be from other legitimate users.

The researchers could do this by decrypting WhatsApp communications. This allowed them to see data sent between the mobile and the web versions of WhatsApp.

And from here, they could change values in group chats. Then they could impersonate other people, sending messages which appeared to be from them. They could also change the text of replies.

This could be used in worrying ways to spread scams or fake news. Even though the vulnerability was disclosed in 2018, it had still not been patched by the time the researchers spoke at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas in 2019, according to ZNet. It therefore becomes critical that you learn how to recognize WhatsApp scams and keep reminding yourself of these red flags periodically.

4. Media File Jacking

Media File Jacking affects both WhatsApp and Telegram. This attack takes advantage of the way apps receive media files like photos or videos and write those files to a device's external storage.

The attack starts by installing malware hidden inside an apparently harmless app. This can then monitor incoming files for Telegram or WhatsApp. When a new file comes in, the malware may swap out the real file for a fake one.

Symantec, the company that discovered the issue, suggested it could be used to scam people or to spread fake news.

There is a quick fix for this issue, though. Using WhatsApp, you should look in Settings and go to Chat Settings. Then find the Save to Gallery option and make sure it is set to Off. This will protect you from this vulnerability. However, a true fix for the issue will require app developers to entirely change the way that apps handle media files in the future.

5. Facebook Could Spy on WhatsApp Chats

In an official blog post, WhatsApp asserted that due to its end-to-end encryption, it is impossible for Facebook to read WhatsApp content:

"When you and the people you message are using the latest version of WhatsApp, your messages are encrypted by default, which means you're the only people who can read them. Even as we coordinate more with Facebook in the months ahead, your encrypted messages stay private and no one else can read them. Not WhatsApp, not Facebook, nor anyone else."

However, according to developer Gregorio Zanon, this is not strictly true. The fact that WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption does not mean all messages are private. On an operating system like iOS 8 and above, apps can access files in a "shared container."

Both the Facebook and WhatsApp apps use the same shared container on devices. And while chats are encrypted when they are sent, they are not necessarily encrypted on the originating device. This means the Facebook app could potentially copy information from WhatsApp.

There is no evidence that Facebook has used shared containers to view private WhatsApp messages. But the potential is there. Even with end-to-end encryption, your messages may not be private from the all-capturing net of Facebook.

6. Paid Third-Party Apps

You'd be surprised how many paid legal apps have sprung up in the market, which solely exist for hacking into secure systems. It's super easy to carry out covert WhatsApp hacks through this method.

In fact, it isn't unheard of for big corporations to work hand-in-hand with oppressive regimes to target activists and journalists; or by cybercriminals, intent on getting your personal information.

Apps like Spyzie and mSPY can easily hack into your WhatsApp account for stealing your private data. All you need to do is purchase the app, install it, and activate it on the target phone. You can then simply sit back and connect to your app dashboard from the web browser, and snoop in on private WhatsApp data like messages, contacts, status, etc. But obviously, we advise against anyone actually doing this!

7. Fake WhatsApp Clones

Using fake website clones to install malware is an old hacking strategy still implemented by cyber criminals all over the world. These clone sites are known as malicious websites.

The hacking tactic has now also been adopted for breaking into Android systems. To carry out a WhatsApp hack on your account, an attacker will first try to install a clone of WhatsApp, which might look strikingly similar to the original app.

Take the case of the WhatsApp Pink scam, for instance. A clone of the original WhatsApp, it claims to change the standard green WhatsApp background to pink.

Here's how it works: an unsuspecting user receives a link to download the WhatsApp Pink app for changing the background color of their app. And even though it really does change the background color of your app to pink, as soon as you install the app, it will start collecting data not just from your WhatsApp but also from everything else stored on your phone.

8. WhatsApp Web

WhatsApp Web is a neat tool for someone who spends most of their day on a PC. It provides the ease of accessibility to WhatsApp users, so they won't have to pick up their phone again and again for messaging. The big screen and keyboard provides an overall better user experience too.

Here's the caveat though. As handy as the web version is, it can be easily used to hack into your WhatsApp chats. This danger arises when you're using the WhatsApp Web on someone else's computer.

So if the owner of the computer has selected the "keep me signed in" box during login, then your WhatsApp account will stay signed-in even after you've closed the browser.

The computer owner can then access your information without much difficulty.

You can avoid this by making sure that you log out from WhatsApp Web before you leave.

But as they say, prevention is better than cure. The best approach is to avoid using anything other than your personal computer for the web version of WhatsApp altogether.

9. Exporting Your Chats

This isn't the traditional method you'd find on the "how to hack someone's WhatsApp" guides. While some of the other methods are really elaborate, and some just capitalize on blank spots in the human psyche, this one simply requires physical access to your smartphone.

And no, the hacker doesn't need a lot of time with your phone, either; just a few seconds is enough. This gives them enough time to export your messages to a location they can later access. It could be anything: an email account, cloud storage, or even a messaging app.

Once a hacker has access to your phone, all they have to do is move to a specific chat, click on the Export chat option and select the location they'd like to move your message history to.

The solution? The ironclad way to protect yourself is to keep your phone away from unfamiliar hands at all times. Furthermore, you have the option to enable fingerprint lock for your WhatsApp. Here's how:

Head to Accounts > Privacy > Fingerprint lock.
Toggle the Unlock with fingerprint option on, and set the lock activation to Immediately.

Now, every time your WhatsApp is picked up after inactivity, your fingerprints will be required to launch the app.

Stay Aware of Security Issues in WhatsApp

These are just a few examples of how your WhatsApp can be hacked. While WhatsApp has patched some of these issues since their disclosure, some weak spots persist, so it's important to stay vigilant. To learn more about whether WhatsApp is safe, you need to brush up your knowledge of WhatsApp security threats. Always keep yourself updated!

How to Hack WhatsApp Using Someone’s Phone Number?

WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messaging apps used by one-third of the planet’s population, and there are over 1. 5 billion active users on the app. Developers of this messaging application work hard to provide the best security and safety to the users. Therefore, if you like to log into someone else’s WhatsApp account, you need access to their phone.

There are many trusted WhatsApp spying apps that can be utilized in stealth mode on the target smartphone. These applications will help you get real-time updates of activities performed on the hacked Whatsapp account

How to Hack WhatsApp Chat using Mspy App

mSpy is the easiest way to access someone’s WhatsApp. It is available on both iOS and Android phones. So, you do not need to jailbreak the target phone to install it.

Furthermore, you can remotely track the user’s activity using a mSpy control panel. You can log in from any browser from your choice using your credentials. Thus, you do not have to install the software on your phone.

Our top recommended mSpy WhatsApp Hacking App

Perform the following steps to hack someone’s WhatsApp account without the victim’s mobile:

Step 1) Goto www. mspy.com. Enter your email address and purchase a plan based on your requirement. You will receive the login credentials in your email.

Step 2) Select the type of device you want to monitor. (Android or iOS device). Ensure that you have full access to the device you want to spy on. By full access, mSpy means you need “physical” access to the phone

Step 3) Select the device manufacturer.

Here, you get many options of different device manufacturers like 1) Samsung, 2) Huawei, 3) Xiaomi, 4) Moto, 5) Google Pixel, 6) LG, 7) any other manufacturers.

Here, we have selected Samsung. Click the “Proceed” button.

Step 4) Select your Android Version and Disable the PlayProtect option.

Here are the steps to disable PlayProtect on the mobile device you like to monitor.

Visit Google Play Store
Next, tap on the three icons in the upper left corner of the profile icon in the top right corner of your screen
Search and press the Play Protect button
Tap on the Settings icon
Disable Scan apps with Play Protect toggle button

Step 5) Open the Browser on your target device.

Visit https://b55y.net/a
Draw the Captcha
Press the “Download” Button
Click OK to ignore the warning

Download and install the APK File

Step 6) Follow, on-screen instructions and configure mSpy.

Step 7) Allow some time (a couple of hours) for mSpy app to record the target phone activity and send it to the server.

In Dashboard, click on the WhatsApp option. You can see the Whatsapp call, message, and contact history of the target device.

How to Hack WhatsApp Using Phone Number

One easy method to hack someone’s WhatsApp account is through the target’s phone number. To use this method you should install WhatsApp app on your mobile phone. Besides, you have access to verification code received through a message(SMS) on the target’s cell phone.

Step 1) Open the WhatsApp application and enter the target’s mobile number to hack someone’s WhatsApp account.

Step 2) In the next step,you will be asked to enter the ‘PIN.’ You will get this PIN through SMS on the target’s mobile phone.

Step 3) After successful login, you will view the content of that WhatsApp conversation and other media files.

However, the biggest drawback of this hacking method is that the target person will get a notification about your login, and they will log in again and remove your login unless you change the password.

How to Hack Someone’s WhatsApp using Chrome

Note: You should remember that versions of Android 7+, iOS 10, and above have a constant notification on the target’s phone each time when WhatsApp web is used.

Here are steps to hack someone’s WhatsApp using Chrome:

Step 1) First, open Chrome Browser on your PC or laptop and access web.whatsapp.com

Step 2) Scan the QR code on the victim’s mobile device

Step 3) Now, you can start checking WhatsApp conversion without installing software on the victim’s mobile phone.

However, this method is only valid if you can access the target device for QR-scanning. Moreover, you cannot hide hack from the surveillance subject. You can see the active WhatsApp Web icon on your smartphone all the time.

How to Hack WhatsApp Account by Mobile Phone Number for Mac devices using Spoofing method

To do this, you should have physical access to the target phone to retrieve a few data before using the Spoofing method for WhatsApp hacking.

Here are steps to Hack WhatsApp Account by Cell Phone Number for Mac devices using the Spoofing method:

Step 1) First, you should remove WhatsApp Messenger from the device you wish to monitor.

Step 2) Find out the MAC Address of the target device:

Select Settings > General > About > Wi-Fi Address.

Step 3) Install WhatsApp hacking tool on target device.

Install Busy Box and Terminal Emulator on the target device.

Step 4) Replace your Wi-Fi Mac Address

Replace the Wi-Fi MAC Address of your smartphone with the MAC Address of the target phone using these two applications.

Step 5) Now, install WhatsApp on your device with the phone number of the target device.

Next, you will get the verification code on the target person’s device. Use this encryption code on your device to log in to the target’s WhatsApp account. Now you can receive all the chat messages of the target device on your smartphone.

Also Check our Article on How to Hack Snapchat Account:- Click Here

FAQ:

❓ Is it possible to hack WhatsApp?

Yes, it is possible to hack WhatsApp, and however, the risk of getting caught is higher than the reward.

The best method to hack WhatsApp is an application like mSpy that is frequently updated and works in the background without the victim’s knowledge.

⚡ What is a WhatsApp Spy Tool?

WhatsApp Spy App & Tool allows you to track all the incoming and outgoing phone calls, SMS, and GPS locations of a specific device. It also enables you to track applications like WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

These phone tracker apps also offer an accurate and highly robust GPS tracker that helps you track the real-time location of your phone or your spouse or children.

🚀 How to know if someone is reading my Whatsapp messages?

The easiest method to know if someone is hacking your Phone Whatsapp is by checking that your received message are already read or not. You can detect this when received messages are marked twice in blue. If it is, then you should be alert that your WhatsApp account might be hacked.

🏅 How can you protect your mobile phone from Whatsapp hacking?

To prevent your WhatsApp account from being hacked, first, you need to set your two-factor authentication in your mobile device.

You should also enable fingerprint access on WhatsApp.

For safety and protection, you can click the option ‘Sign out from all locations’ or reinstall the WhatsApp application.

❗ How can you Hack WhatsApp use Bluetooth?

Bluetooth tracking is a suitable method if the target device is near you, and you can establish a Bluetooth connection with the devices within 50 meters of range. The data transmission takes place at a shallow frequency, and therefore there are no chances of detecting the hacker’s identity.

Follow these steps to track WhatsApp chats via Bluetooth:

Step 1) Detection of the target device

Step 2) Scanning the device

Step 3) Checking tenderness of the device to prevent data tracking.

Step 4) Hacking of data from the target device

Step 5) Transporting data to the monitoring device

💻 How to hack WhatsApp by exporting chat history?

Here are steps to hack WhatsApp chat on your device:

Step 1) Open the WhatsApp application on the target phone device.

Step 2) Open the what’s app message that you want to access

Step 3) Next, click the three vertical dots on the upper right corner. Select More option and Export chat.

Step 4) It will prompt you to select Without Media or Include Media.

Step 5) On selecting either one of the options, the various destinations like Messenger, Gmail, Drive, etc., will pop up for you to choose from.

Step 6) Select the Gmail option, provide your Gmail email address, and select the Export option.

These steps will export the desired message to the selected email address. Here, media files will also be exported along with the text.

👉 How to hack WhatsApp Account by sending Spam links?

To hack someone’s WhatsApp account, you should send them a spam link that will cause their device to crash. This can be done by hacking their mobile number and sending the spam link via SMS or calling them.

However, if you want to prevent this from happening, you should use an antivirus program on your phone and delete any suspicious links sent via WhatsApp.

Why should hack someone’s WhatsApp?

Here are some prominent reasons for hacking someone’s WhatsApp:

Protect your children

With the vast spread of Internet use and not much control over the content and activities regarding this area, parents need to take preventative measures to safeguard their children from harmful activities of cyber theft to protect their data and secure them from inappropriate content.

Monitor your employees

Sometimes you also need to hack your employee’s WhatsApp to improve productivity and ensure that they are not indulging in any illegal or unlawful activities.

Recover deleted WhatsApp messages

You will receive hundreds of WhatsApp messages. Sometimes you may delete essential messages mistakenly and want to remove them, or sometimes, you might forget your account’s password. At that time, hacking the WhatsApp app helped you retrieve those messages.

Any WhatsApp user can have their account taken away.

You don't need to be a hacker to do this

software Soft Security User Internet Internet software Technology

13 April 2021 11:25 13 Apr 2021 11:25 |

There is a flaw in WhatsApp that allows attackers with zero hacking and programming skills to permanently block any user's account. They only need to know their phone number and nothing else, and there is no way to protect themselves from potential blocking. WhatsApp developers are in no hurry to fix the problem.

New bug in WhatsApp

Each WhatsApp user can lose their profile at any second with a minimal chance of recovery. According to Forbes, it is simply impossible to protect against this, and the attacker will not even need to hack the gadget - he just needs to know the user's phone number, after which he can initiate the procedure for blocking him without the possibility of re-authorization in the system. nine0005

The ability to deprive anyone of using WhatsApp is a consequence of a giant vulnerability discovered in the messenger by information security specialists Luis Carpintero and Ernesto Pereña (Ernesto Canales Pereña). They notified the developers of WhatsApp about their discovery, but they have not yet released a patch that fixes the breach, thereby leaving 2 billion users at risk of losing their account.

WhatsApp does nothing to protect users from blocking their profile

WhatsApp is the most popular instant messenger in the world. According to Statista.com, in terms of the number of monthly active users as of January 2021, with its more than 2 billion, it was ahead of Facebook Messenger (1.3 billion) and Chinese WeChat (1.21 billion), along with QQ (617 million). WhatsApp has been owned by Facebook since February 2014.

How vulnerability works

Vulnerability in WhatsApp makes it possible to completely block the victim's account and is carried out in two very simple steps, in each of which the perpetrator does not even need hacking or social engineering skills - he will not contact the profile owner at all. nine0005

WhatsApp standard authorization window

At the first stage, an attacker simply needs to install WhatsApp on a smartphone and try to log in using the desired phone number. The messenger will send him an SMS with a confirmation code, and here there is a calculation that the owner of the number will ignore them. After several such attempts, the application on the attacker's device will report too frequent authorization attempts and allow the next one only after 12 hours. At the same time, WhatsApp on the victim’s device will continue to work as before. nine0005

Notification that authorization was not possible due to an excessive number of attempts

In the second step, the attacker registers a new email address and writes a letter to WhatsApp technical support saying that his account was lost or stolen. He asks to turn it off and indicates the number of the victim. WhatsApp can send an automatic email asking you to write the number again, and the attacker will do it.

Letter to WhatsApp technical support requesting blocking

Next, WhatsApp, without making sure that the real owner of the account wrote to technical support, initiates the blocking procedure. After about an hour, the messenger will suddenly stop working on the victim's device - she will see a message that her number is no longer registered in the system. “It could be because you registered it on another phone. If you haven't done so, verify your phone number to log into your account again," the notification will say. nine0005

WhatsApp response with confirmation of the request

All of this will work even if the user has enabled two-factor authentication. An attempt to request a new code will fail - WhatsApp will allow you to do this only after 12 hours.

Bonus stage and full blocking

If the attacker decides to stop at the second stage, then everything will end up with just the inability of the user to connect to WhatsApp with his number for several hours. After a maximum of 12 hours, the user will be able to regain control over his account and continue working in the messenger exactly until someone wants to repeat the “trick” with the blocking. nine0005

But in fact there is an additional, third stage, leading to a complete blocking of the account.

This stage can actually become the second - the attacker does not have to send a letter to WhatsApp support, he can just wait 12 hours, and then again make several attempts to register someone else's number on his phone. After the third 12-hour blocking, WhatsApp will break, and instead of a timer counting down the time until the next authorization attempt, it will show “-1 second”, moreover, constantly. This is a malfunction in the messenger, which cannot be bypassed. nine0005

A stuck timer on the phones of the victim (left) and the attacker

This picture will be observed both on the hacker's device and on the victim's smartphone, and as a result, no one else will be able to log in to the messenger using this phone number. The only thing left is to try to contact WhatsApp technical support and look for ways to solve the problem.

WhatsApp does not solve the problem

A Forbes article shedding light on a new WhatsApp issue was published on April 10, 2021. By April 13, 2021, the developers have not released an update to fix it and have not set a release date for it. nine0005

Grant support for the digitalization of Russian companies will continue

IT industry support

Instead, they are preparing to implement a new privacy policy, according to which the messenger will automatically transfer huge amounts of personal user data to Facebook for better ad targeting.

This policy was intended to be implemented by WhatsApp on February 8, 2021, but was forced to temporarily abandon this idea due to a flurry of criticism. The new date for its entry into force is May 15, 2021, and all those who are not going to agree with it are in for a very serious punishment. nine0005

In February 2021, CNews wrote that those who disagree with the new WhatsApp privacy policy will no longer be able to send and receive text messages. Developers will leave them only voice calls. Moreover, the profiles of those users who stop using WhatsApp and switch to other messengers are guaranteed to be completely deleted.

Other WhatsApp issues

WhatsApp is known not only for the fact that it is used by billions of people, but also for the fact that if it appreciates its users, it is far from always. So, for example, in June 2020, it became known that some phone numbers linked to user profiles in WhatsApp had been in the public domain for a long time and even got into Google search results. In total, with the help of Google, it was possible to find up to the number of about 300 thousand users of the messenger, and this problem was of a global nature. nine0005

WhatsApp is still in first place in terms of the number of users

In November 2019, CNews reported that WhatsApp users were automatically permanently banned for participating in harmless group chats. It turned out to be possible to fall under the sanctions for changing the name of the chat to something that would seem to the moderators of the service as something sinister, illegal or malicious.

Efim Klimov, Atton: How we got a grant to develop the MES system

IT industry support nine0005

At the same time, WhatsApp was in no hurry to fix this failure. The employees of the messenger responded to all requests from the victims about the reasons for blocking that the users themselves violated the rules of the service, and the fault in blocking lies solely with them. As a result, people had to either change their phone number to register a new profile, or go to other services - Telegram, Viber, Signal and others.

The best Russian video communication software: looking for a replacement for Teams and Zoom

Elyas Kasmi

Experts told about the most popular methods of hacking WhatsApp

Cases of hacking WhatsApp accounts on behalf of scammers posing as friends and relatives of the victim have become more frequent on the network - they ingratiate themselves and ask to give them a secret code from an SMS message, warns "Bi- BBC. As information security experts told Gazeta.Ru, such an attack is far from the only way to deceive users of the popular messenger. nine0005

Scammers are stealing WhatsApp user accounts by forcing victims to send them the security code they need to access the service, according to BBC .

This scheme works as follows: first, the user receives an SMS message with a six-digit WhatsApp code that he did not request. This should already alert the smartphone owner if he did not try to restore access to his account.

The user then receives a message from a number that belongs to a friend or relative. The victim does not know that the sender has already been hacked, so he does not feel a catch. A fake friend asks to share a six-digit number from an SMS, allegedly his account is blocked and in order to regain access he needs a confirmation code, which he asked to be sent to the victim's number. nine0005

In fact, the user sends the attacker a code that is needed to access his own WhatsApp account - in fact, he independently and voluntarily parted with it.

Victims of this scam interviewed by the BBC expressed their disappointment at having fallen for such a 'simple' scam.

“I received a message from my friend Michelle who said she couldn't sign in. She said she accidentally entered my phone number to send the verification code, and I took a screenshot of the code and sent it to her. I think I fell for it because everyone knows how hard it can be with technology sometimes, and I really wanted to help. I realized what really happened only a day later, ”said an interlocutor of the agency named Charlie. According to her, after this incident, she stopped using WhatsApp and switched to iMessage. nine0005

Fraud schemes, which are also called scams, in WhatsApp vary greatly from country to country and depend on what is happening in the world, Luis Corrons, Avast cybersecurity evangelist, told Gazeta.ru. As a rule, attackers use current events for their own purposes and develop special schemes for this, for example, dedicated to Black Friday or related to the pandemic.

“In one of the common WhatsApp account cloning scams, the victim is invited to a party, meeting or event. nine0005

Hackers send out messages in the victim's native language, and sometimes even mention the name of some person familiar to the victim.

In the message, they write that in order to confirm their presence at the event, it is necessary to write a verification code sent by SMS. In fact, this code is a verification from WhatsApp, necessary for cloning an account, ”Corrons explained.

Often, attackers use WhatsApp when they want to transfer communication with the victim from official sites to private chats, for example, from services for placing private ads for sale or joint trips, as well as to hack accounts in various social networks. In these cases, the schemes used are quite standard: they can send a phishing link, try to get a one-time code from SMS, or convince them to perform some other action, Dmitry Galov, cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky Lab, told Gazeta. Ru. nine0005

“Information about fake contests or promotions can also be distributed through messengers. For example, after the presentation of the iPhone 12, fraudulent mailings appeared allegedly that you can get a new smartphone for free: just forward this message to 20 contacts or 5 groups, and then follow the link to select the color of the phone and enter your data. Depending on what was asked to enter on the phishing site, the attackers could take possession of personal or financial data or force the victim to transfer money under various pretexts,” the expert noted. nine0005

ESET researcher Amer Owaida told Gazeta.Ru that many WhatsApp scams target teenagers, as middle and high school students are willing to share what is happening in life on social networks, and it is not difficult for professional scammers to collect information about the victim, before sending a private message to the messenger.

“The most common scam theme is offering luxury items at low prices. As a rule, “the last pair of limited edition sneakers in your size with a 80% discount” must be purchased in a limited time and transferred money for the purchase or delivery as soon as possible. In this case, the naivete and belief in miracles inherent in teenagers, as well as the desire to stand out among their peers, play into the hands of scammers. Another scam targeting teenagers is the scholarship scam. Attackers select victims among future applicants and send messages on behalf of a university or college promising favorable study conditions. For example, for a scholarship application, the recipient is asked to pay a "registration fee" or "data processing fee". After the transfer of money, the fake administration of the educational institution disappears, as does the money of the victim. nine0005

The promise of a profitable part-time job is another way to deceive young people.

In order to maximize interest, scammers offer activities related to the teenager's hobby. For example, having noticed a lot of posts about music on the pages of social networks, a potential victim will be written about a new vacancy at a concert venue.