Gardaí have issued a warning about a scam being circulated via WhatsApp.
The scam begins when a criminal gets access to another WhatsApp account which has you listed as a contact.
Crime Prevention Officer for Clare Sergeant Triona Brooks said: “The criminal, posing as your friend or someone that’s a member of a WhatsApp group you’re in, will then send you seemingly normal messages to try and start a conversation with you.
However, around the same time you will receive a text message from WhatsApp with a six-digit code. This is because the criminal has been trying to login to WhatsApp using your mobile phone number. The criminal will claim that they sent you their code by accident and ask you to help them by sending it to them. Once the criminal has this code, they can login to your WhatsApp account and lock you out.
The criminal will then use the same tactic with your WhatsApp contacts in an effort to steal more accounts and use them to perpetrate fraud.
What can you do to prevent this?
Set up a two-step verification to give an extra layer of protection to your account. Tap Settings >Account<Two step verification>Enable.
Stop, Think, Call – if a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identity.
Never share your account’s activation code (that’s the 6 digit code you receive via SMS)
You can report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions.