Constantly, Whatsapp invests and announces news in order to emphasize and offer security to its users. However, criminals also do not rest and look for new ways to commit digital scams. As the end of the year approaches, malicious tricks tend to increase.
Read more: Check out 11 news from Telegram in its new update
see more
Public tenders: Federal Government authorizes the opening of more than 3…
Young people in a regime of prison semi-liberty will be able to have access to…
Some scammers try to copy profiles within the platform to ask the victim's contacts for money. It's like someone copied all your profile information and contacted your friends and family.
Everything on the account is similar except the phone number. However, despite the difference, some people do not notice the number and end up falling into the trap.
In addition to cloning the profile, some scammers have sensitive data from the person responsible for the original account. Not only RG and CPF are in the hands of criminals. Information such as address and work data can also be used.
The recent mega data leaks may be responsible for this. That's why it's important to prevent as much as possible.
Check out tips to avoid having your profile cloned:
1 – Report to WhatsApp
If someone is using your information, the first thing to do is report it to WhatsApp. Just send the complaint to the email [email protected].
The company undertakes to send a response within 48 hours regarding your request.
It is also possible to activate the platform through the app itself. Go to the fake profile account, Settings and then Report contact. Choose between Report & Block or Report only options.
2 – Don’t talk to criminals
Never interact with the scammer. The recommended thing, in fact, is to block the fake user so that he no longer has access to your account. Advising that you know about the scam can expose the victim to other risks.
3 – Contact the responsible authorities
If you discover a scam applied on your behalf by a fake profile, go to the authorities. Look for a police station and register the occurrence.
4 – Hide the profile picture for non-contacts
Go to the WhatsApp settings, open the “Privacy” tab and change the profile picture privacy to “My Contacts”.
Make your information available to as few people as possible. It is possible to restrict the permissions for viewing “Last seen” and “Note”.
– Enable double authentication
Two-step authentication is a great way to prevent your data from being stolen. Even if your account has not been hacked, it is worth taking this protection measure.
Whenever you suspect a WhatsApp profile, pay attention to mistakes in Portuguese and try to verify authenticity. It is possible to make video calls or even audio calls to test the veracity of the user. Always report a scam or attempted scam.
