27th October 2020, Kathmandu
With more users using messaging apps, it has benefited frauds to start phishing attacks in Whatsapp and other apps. It has become a hotspot for scammers and frauds. With almost every mobile phone having Whatsapp or Viber in Nepal, scammers are sending unique phishing messages on WhatsApp.
The situation does not seem to get better with the Whatsapp group, where phishing messages reach spread within an enormous mass quickly. Frauds and scammers have been designing unique messages with malicious links that appear legit. Once you click it, you give away all your personal information, including your banking details.
Sending malicious links and phishing attacks in Whatsapp has become a widespread problem. Especially when very few people even think about investing in a reliable mobile anti-virus system or a security system to protect personal information and banking details.
Phishing Attacks in Whatsapp and Other Apps
A phishing attack takes place with two things, one is the message which is sent, and another is the hook which is the malicious URL. Not only WhatsApp, but you can expect a phishing attack from anywhere including email, Facebook, and any other messaging app. But reports suggest that people fall for such scams in Whatsapp/Facebook from known contacts. Your friends/family don’t realize that they are sending a phishing message and just forward.
So, will the scammers scam you just by you clicking on the link? Yes, they will, unless you have a sound security system on your phone or an anti-virus application. Usually, when you click the link, it will redirect you to a fake social-media login page of Facebook or Instagram or even a fake banking page. It may even install a malicious app on your phone in the background. Then they rob off your personal and private information, including your social media handles and banking details.
Staying safe from Scams
One way to avoid such phishing attacks is not opening such malicious links from anyone, including known contacts too. But, it is not possible always to ignore the messages. Sometimes you might get tempted or get carried away and click on the malicious links. You might end up clicking one day after ignoring for years; for situations like that look forward to investing in a sound security system.
A full-proof way of staying away from phishing attacks in Whatsapp is definitely investing in a security system for your mobile phone. Such anti-virus/mobile security apps could block such a malicious URL or stop a malicious app from downloading in the background.
You can also see our article about how safe your smartphone is.
