WhatsApp Voice Scam

In 2017, many Irish WhatsApp users saw a WhatsApp voice scam which hid a link redirecting victims to a malicious URL.

You should always be educating yourself and your employees now on what to look for.

At the time, warned: “A dangerous email spam message is dropping into Irish mailboxes, pretending to come from WhatsApp. Its subject says ‘Missed Voicemail’ and the content of the mail just said ‘New voice message’ and came with  a link asking victims to ‘Play’”. Clicking on the link will begin the download of a trojan virus that redirected the target to a malicious URL or implemented a specific exploit that could cause ransomware and other malware infections.

This should serve as a wake up call to employers and their entire company. Criminal hackers are constantly trying to dupe people into clicking on links or open unsolicited attachments.. Do not click on the “play” button. If you do, your computer will get infected with malware which can cause your identity to get stolen, or all your (or your organization’s) files held for ransom.

Here’s a general safety rule: Instead of clicking a link in an unverified email claiming it’s from WhatsApp (or any other social media), log in to your WhatsApp account the standard way and check for any messages from there.

Want to learn more about email security best practices? Get in touch with our experts.