Urgent WhatsApp Dangers You Must Avoid – Or It Could Cost You Thousands

MILLIONS of WhatsApp users are at risk of being caught in a devastating scam.

It could cost you thousands, but luckily it’s easy to avoid if you know how.

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Whatsapp Used by billions of people around the world, it is a prime target for scammers.

According to UK-based Action Fraud, it’s known as a ‘friend in need’ scam.

But it often starts with “Hello mom/dad, it’s me”.

It is the beginning of a scam to trick parents into believing they are talking to their children.

Often it will be an apology, like texting on a friend’s cell phone or from a new number.

But your own child’s WhatsApp may even have been compromised to pull off the scam.

The scammer requests a large sum of money to pay an urgent bill.

But it’s a total scam.

If your “kid” sends you a message asking for money, make sure you acknowledge the request in some other way — for example, by calling or in person.

Some ignorant parents have been cheated out of thousands using this method.

“If you receive a message like this from a friend or family member, do not send any money until you have had an opportunity to call them and confirm their identity,” said City of London Police Detective Chief Inspector Craig Mullish.

“If you take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information, you could be safe.”

According to Action Fraud, the scam was reported 1,235 times between February 3 and June 21 of this year.

And the total cost to the victims is a staggering £1.5million.

Police are urging people to use the “Stop, Think, Call” method to avoid getting caught.

It means simply calling the recipient to verify their identity and request.

You can also report spam messages within WhatsApp and blocking the sender is useful too.

Police say you should never give out your account’s six-digit login codes — even if someone says they accidentally sent you theirs.

And if you’ve received suspicious messages in the UK, you can forward them to 7726 – that means SPAM on your keyboard.

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