WhatsApp Image Scam: A new fraud has come to light on WhatsApp. A person in Jabalpur has lost ₹ 2 lakh due to this fraud. The Department of Telecommunications has warned about this dangerous scam. Know what this scam is.
WhatsApp Image Scam: Cyber fraudsters are breaking into people's hard-earned money through new methods of cheating. After OTP, fake link, now a new scam has come on WhatsApp. Recently, a person from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh lost about 2 lakh rupees after downloading a picture sent on WhatsApp from an unknown number. After this, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a warning about this new cyber crime. According to the Department of Telecommunications, this new scam, which depends on downloading files, is particularly worrying.
WhatsApp Image Scam: Fraud begins by sending a picture
Scammers begin this fraud by sending pictures on WhatsApp or other messaging platforms. In some cases, they also make phone calls, and ask the victim to identify the person seen in the picture sent on WhatsApp. After the victim downloads the picture, their phone crashes, giving scammers access to the victim's smartphone. Actually there is a malware link inside the photo. This technique is called steganography.
WhatsApp Image Scam: What is steganography
According to anti-virus website Kaspersky, steganography is a method of hiding information within another message or physical object so that it cannot be detected. It can be used to hide many types of digital content, including text, images, videos or audio. The hidden data can later be extracted at its destination. The scammers link makes the victim download a harmful application on their smartphone, which gives access to the OTP and breaks into the account.
WhatsApp Image Scam: Do not make this mistake to avoid a scam
To avoid this new WhatsApp scam, do not download unknown photos, videos, or voice notes from unknown numbers. If the size of any image or video seems unusually large, avoid downloading it, as it may contain links to harmful applications. Do not link your WhatsApp number to your bank account. Report any such incident to the cybercrime portal or call the cyber crime helpline 1930.
