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The Police would like to alert members of the public to be vigilant and take preventive measures against a new variant of WhatsApp account takeover scams where scammers would send SMSes containing phishing links to deceive victims.

In this variant, victims would receive SMSes informing them of issues with their WhatsApp account due to prolonged lack of verification. They would then be prompted to verify their accounts through a phishing link that leads to a fake WhatsApp webpage. When victims enter their mobile number and verification code on the fake WhatsApp webpage, their WhatsApp account would be taken over by scammers, who would then send fraudulent loan requests to the victims’ contacts.

Victims would only realise that they had been scammed when they were logged out of their WhatsApp accounts, discovered unknown devices linked to their accounts, or when they were notified by their contacts on the fraudulent loan requests.

Users who suspect that their WhatsApp account has been compromised should contact WhatsApp¹ for recovery of their accounts. Members of the public are advised to adopt the following precautionary measures:

1. ADD – ScamShield app to block scam calls and filter scam messages. Set up security features (e.g. ‘Two-Step Verification’ feature on WhatsApp through ‘Settings’ > ‘Account’ > ‘Two-Step verification’ > ‘Turn on’). For information on additional security features on WhatsApp, visit https://www.whatsapp.com/security.
   
   
2. CHECK – authenticity of the clickable link and webpage address for discrepancy via the ScamShield app. Beware of unusual requests received over WhatsApp, even if they were sent by your WhatsApp contacts. Always verify with the sender by calling them via non-WhatsApp calls to ensure that their WhatsApp accounts were not compromised. Check your linked devices regularly by going to 'Settings' > 'Linked Devices' to review all devices linked to your account. To remove a linked device which you do not recognise, select the device > 'Log Out'.
   
   
3. TELL – authorities, family, and friends if or when you encounter scams. If you suspect that you have fallen victim to a scam, call your bank immediately to block any fraudulent transactions and make a police report. Report the phishing websites to your internet browser service providers (e.g. Google for Chrome, Apple for Safari).

If you are in doubt, call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 to check. For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg. Fighting scams is a community effort. Together, we can ACT Against Scams to safeguard our community!

¹WhatsApp webpage for recovery of compromised account: https://faq.whatsapp.com/1131652977717250



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