A new scam using messenger services is appearing in Austria. Now the Federal Criminal Police Office warns citizens about the scam.
The new scam attempt is spreading across messenger services, especially WhatsApp.
A new wave of fraud attempts spills over Austria. Now the domestic Federal Criminal Police Office warns citizens. Users of Messenger. services are affected, especially cases via the most used Messenger WhatsApp are known. “If you get a message from the police of the Ivory Coast via your Messenger service, in which it is about investigations of a YouTube video, and therefore demands are made of you, then it is a fraud attempt!” it says from the Federal Criminal Police Office.
The urgent advice is, “DO NOT transfer money. DO NOT get pressured and break off contact. Secure the chat history and file a police report. Also, inform your family, friends, and neighbors about this scam.” Specifically, the unknown persons try to extort money from the recipients by pressuring them temporally and with made-up accusations. If such a message arrives, the sender should be blocked immediately.
Just a few weeks ago, an Easter scam spilled across the country. “Free Easter gift baskets from Milka. Five thousand gifts for you” – this WhatsApp message and spelling should ring alarm bells. But the dangerous thing about the news was: that it didn’t come from strangers but from friends, acquaintances, work colleagues, and family – in other words, people you would trust. But the message was a scam, had nothing to do with Milka or a raffle – and lured interested parties into a trap.
The fraud warning and Internet education site “mimikama.at” had tried it out. “If you tap on the message, you are redirected to a website that looks like you are on Milka’s website. This is to create trust, but the website did NOT come from Milka. You can also tell by the URL, which points to *.RU,” the experts say. After that, the user is supposed to answer some questions and forward the message to some WhatsApp contacts. If the user then wants to complete the process, dozens of windows open, including those for expensive payment services, according to “mimikama.”
- source: heute.at/picture: pixabay.com
This post has already been read 1143 times!