The popular messaging application WhatsApp is often used by scammers and fraudsters to scam people. An old WhatsApp scam is back in action and it is very important to stay alert.
In the scam, cybercriminals are sending a message to the users claiming that they have won a lottery worth Rs 25 Lakhs. This fake lottery message is put to use in order to steal money from the users.
What’s The WhatsApp Message All About?
The message which is used to steal money from users comes from a non-Indian number +92 306 0373744. In the message, an image is sent which is a poster announcing about the lottery. To make it look reliable, photos of Amitabh Bachchan are put to use. The image contains a lottery number in the name of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).
As per the image, for getting the lottery amount, users are required to make a call on a given number 07666533352. Along with the poster, an audio message is also sent. The audio message congratulates and explains further details about the lottery. This is a big scam and any such message should not be considered as genuine.
This is not the first time when scammers are using WhatsApp in order to cheat people. There have been numerous similar scams reported in the past.
What Can be done in order to stay safe?
It is almost impossible to get away with these scams in the digital space. However, a little awareness can help you in keeping your hard-earned money safe in your accounts.
- Never fall for any message or call that claims about unrealistic financial gains.
- In case you receive a message from an unknown number, don’t respond too quickly.
- Never reply back to messages with errors and poor language.
- If you come to know that the received message is from the scammer, immediately block the number.
- Take special care in case of non-Indian numbers.
- Don’t provide OTP, bank details, or any sensitive information to unknown callers.
- Don’t click on any suspicious link received from unknown numbers.
- If asked to install any screen-sharing application, never fall for that.
