Pune: Received WhatsApp verification code without applying for one? Beware, it is definitely a cybercrook on the other side trying to hijack the account and defraud those in contact list. The new trick, which involves hijacking WhatsApp accounts through verification code manipulation, has already affected many residents over the past two days. City-based businessman Jayant Shivdasani, a victim of the scam, said, "I had received a message from a friend's wife, a known contact, asking how was I doing.
We then exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes. She then told me that she had bought a new phone and erroneously sent a code to me, which she needed. Thinking it was genuine, I shared the code, and my WhatsApp was immediately hacked.
" He said the person on the other side then used his compromised WhatsApp account to send messages to his contacts, asking some to transfer Rs 5,000. "A friend in Chennai even called up my wife to verify if I was in financial stress. I uninstalled and reinstalled the app multiple times, but have not been able to access my WhatsApp account even after 72 hours.
I also got in touch with WhatsApp customer support." Shivdasani, who later filed a police complaint, said, "One of my friends, whose account was also compromised because of the WhatsApp messages sent from my number, even formatted his phone to factory settings, but is still not able to access the account." Shweta Chawla, a forensic cyber crime expert, confirmed of receiving ‘a cascade of compl.
