Sending and receiving money is now simpler than ever thanks to the launch of UPI. UPI is used to send and receive money all over the country, and because of the volume of transactions it sees, it serves as a haven for scammers who may take advantage of its users at will.
As instant messaging has become the standard for communication, scammers frequently use WhatsApp and SMS to message people and try to trick them into parting with money. Scammers have been contacting users on WhatsApp frequently lately in an effort to trick them into falling for their deceptive scams. The frequency of messages on employment prospects, utility costs, and other topics has increased. The following list of five harmful messages is designed to steal your money from you online:
1. MESSAGES ON JOB SELECTION
Sending people customized text messages on WhatsApp or even through SMS has recently grown in popularity as a method of enticing them. Recently, it has come to light that con artists are approaching people via WhatsApp or text message and promising them job opportunities. The communications often include the pay as well as the information that recipients have a job opportunity waiting for them. Additionally, they provide a WhatsApp messaging number for users to use in order to take advantage of the offer. You can get emails saying something like, “Dear you have passed our interview, wage is 8000 Rs/Day.” To discuss details, kindly contact me at http://wa.me/9191XXXXXX SSBO.
These communications and others like them are now frequently used to defraud Indian job seekers. However, if you click any of these “wa.me” links, con artists might demand money upfront, it might be a pyramid marketing scheme where you’d be asked to join a referral program and bring in additional people, or it can just be a plot to steal your data.
According to research from a chat-based employment platform, 56% of Indian job seekers experience job fraud while looking for work. Scammers frequently target job searchers between the ages of 20 and 29.
2. MESSAGES PROMISING CASH PRIZE/ LUCKY DRAW WINNING MESSAGES
Users frequently receive messages on WhatsApp, via SMS, or even via email from fraudsters offering a monetary award. Again, there are various variations of these fraudulent messages, such as showing the cash prize as part of a “KBC Jio” lucky draw or simply promising people a massive cash prize in hopes of getting them to click the fraudulent links. While the latter often includes messages like “Congratulations! You have won Rs 50,000! Click this link to claim your reward!,” the former “KBC Jio” message is more elaborate.
Users will receive messages from scammers claiming they have won a Rs 25,000 KBC Jio cash reward. A poster or video outlining the procedure is sent along with the message. Users are prompted to disclose their personal information on WhatsApp in order to receive the money if they choose to proceed. Even a poster with the KBC logo, Sony LIV logo (because Kaun Banega Crorepati broadcasts on Sony LIV), and even an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attached to the KBC Jio message to lend it some respectability. The message even asserts that individuals have gained thousands of rupees using these incentives.
These communications are now blatantly bogus, and when a user calls the provided number to claim the money, the scammers inform them that they must first pay a specific refundable sum to cover GST and other fees as well as lottery processing costs. Once the victim deposits the money, they begin to demand additional money under various justifications.
3. FRIENDS SEEKING WHATSAPP OTP
A WhatsApp fraud that gained enormous popularity in 2017. This entails one of your contacts asking WhatsApp for a six-digit code. The con artists here ask you to send a code that you might have got over SMS while supposing to be one of your contacts. Since this code is WhatsApp’s confirmation code, which it sends to users whenever they attempt to sign in from a different device, sending it in advance will lock you out of your account. Hey, I’m sorry, I accidentally sent you a 6-digit SMS code. Could you send it on to me, please? Since the communication is coming from a trusted source, users typically submit the code without giving it any thought.
The con artists will now be able to access your WhatsApp account on a different device once you send them this code. They can then message any of your connections in your name and request favors or, in this example, money. The majority of the time, scammers texted contacts of victims requesting for loans, according to reports from the previous year.
4. MESSAGE ASKING YOU TO CLEAR ELECTRICITY BILL
Recently, WhatsApp messages urging customers to pay their electricity bills have been circulating. According to user reviews, the message is convincing enough for individuals to think it is real and pay. Here, users get an SMS or WhatsApp message reminding them to pay their electricity bill and including the scammer’s phone number. Now, if someone contacts the number in the message, the con artists will threaten to disconnect their electricity unless they pay.
“Hello, Customer As a result of your prior month’s bill not being updated, your energy will be cut off tonight at 9.30 p.m. Please call our electricity officer at 8260303942 right away. Usually, the message ends with “Thank you.” Even though this message does not originate from an authorized source, many individuals nevertheless mistake it for one and phone the number. The syntax or language employed in this communication is another warning sign. No electricity board will text you with a poorly written reminder to pay your account. Most incidences of energy scams have been recorded by con artists in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Odisha, among other cities.