Online Reporter
Trust Freddy-Herald Correspondent
Police have issued a warning to the public to exercise caution when using digital platforms, particularly WhatsApp, following a surge in cyber attacks.
Cyber attackers are inviting users to click onto unknown numbers or exposing users to phishing scams where the attackers deceive people into providing sensitive data through fraudulent messages.
These attacks often result in the theft of sensitive information, including bank details, and, in some cases, extortion of money from family and friends.
But in all cases, the attacker and hacker has gained access from the account owner clicking on a link of some sort and authorities urge people to ignore and report messages from people and numbers they do not recognise.
The scammers primarily target high-profile individuals, including senior Government officials, media personnel, and social media influencers. However, anyone can fall victim.
In an interview yesterday, national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi stated that authorities are working diligently to apprehend the perpetrators.
“There is a rampant cyberattack targeting senior Government officials, media personnel, and people across the country, where messages are sent from unknown numbers, usually foreign numbers. The moment you click on a link, you will be hacked.”
Hacking has become increasingly sophisticated in the digital age. Cyber criminals exploit vulnerabilities in software and human behaviour to gain unauthorised access to personal and financial information once given access by the phone owner.
Phishing, a common tactic, involves deceiving individuals into providing sensitive data through fraudulent emails or messages. With the rise of mobile messaging platforms like WhatsApp, scammers have adapted their strategies, creating urgent and convincing scenarios to manipulate users.
Comm Nyathi emphasised the need for the public to stay alert and treat messages from unknown numbers with caution.
“The public should desist from opening links from unknown sources, and as the police, we are using resources at our disposal to flush out these suspects.”
Once scammers gain control of accounts, they solicit money from the victim’s contacts, often pretending to be in a state of emergency.
On WhatsApp, scammers send urgent messages to every contact, feigning a crisis and requesting financial assistance. On Facebook, they reach out to every friend.
Several individuals have fallen prey to these scams. In one instance, a top Government official had his phone hacked and the scammers sent a message claiming to be in a dire financial situation.
“I’m trying to send some money to someone for treatment; it’s not going through. I have issues with my account; can you help me send it to the person’s account directly? I will refund it back immediately once my transfer is active.”
The hacker created a sense of urgency, claiming to need help for a medical treatment payment, but the message lacked specific details about the treatment or the recipient.
While some recipients grew suspicious, others unfortunately fell victim, with two individuals reportedly losing money, one sending US$250 and another transferring ZiG500.
The matter has been reported to the police. These scammers allegedly use lost or stolen identity documents to register new SIM cards, which they then employ to perpetrate cybercrimes. They often use foreign numbers to send deceptive messages. The scammers employ many tactics, including messages promising free data, such as “Click this link to get 50GB of free data.”
Claims of winning large sums of money, such as “You have won $100 000; click this link to collect your prize.”
Deceptive messages claiming a prominent individual has leaked a sensitive video, enticing recipients to click a malicious link. Clicking on these links can lead to disastrous consequences, including compromising the security of the victim’s WhatsApp account.
Hackers are also exploiting the “WhatsApp Forward Call” feature to gain unauthorised access to victims’ accounts and intercept incoming calls. This scam typically begins with a deceptive message, email, or phone call that tricks the recipient into dialling a phone number containing a man-machine interface code. If the individual falls for the ruse, their incoming calls will be automatically forwarded to the attacker’s number.
Once the attacker has successfully forwarded the victim’s calls, they can install WhatsApp, register the compromised number, and request a verification code via phone call, ultimately gaining control of the account.
As cyber threats continue to evolve, the police urge the public to remain vigilant and cautious when interacting with unknown contacts online.
