The crooks found a formidable way to gain the confidence of their victims before stealing their identity.
WhatsApp has become the favorite playground for crooks who compete in ingenuity to trap more and more victims. In recent times, the scams have multiplied on instant messaging: false competition promising miraculous gains, identity theft of loved ones in financial distress, or even false job offers in cryptocurrencies. Fraudsters exploit the confidence that most people naturally give to messages received on their personal phones. They know that their targets are less suspicious of a WhatsApp message than a suspicious email, and it is precisely on this psychological flaw that they capitalize on to extract the most sensitive data.
Faced with the growing vigilance of users, cybercriminals are constantly adapting their strategies. They gradually abandon too coarse approaches to turn to more sophisticated methods, perfectly imitating official communications from respected institutions. Their last find? Get away as renowned Swiss law firms.
The victims receive official letters promising them substantial compensation following former damages linked to cryptocurrencies or fraudulent competitions. The trap seems credible: who would refuse legitimate financial compensation? But to touch this sum, a “compulsory” step is required: an identification procedure via WhatsApp, including the sending of an identity card photo. Joshua Jahn, spokesperson for the Verbraucherzentral Brandenburg, is sounding the alarm: “Anyone who uses his identity card to identify with crooks may see his identity used for criminal purposes.”
To protect themselves effectively, experts recommend adopting some simple, but essential reflexes. First, no serious institution never asks to send identity documents via WhatsApp or by unsecured email. Second, beware of the too attractive offers that arrive without you having asked anything. The Brandenburg Consumer Consulting Center also suggests systematically checking the authenticity of correspondence by directly contacting the supposed organization at the origin of the message, by phone or via their official website. If in doubt, it is better to abstain completely and, if you think you have been targeted by an attempted scam, do not hesitate to file a complaint. These precautions can avoid months of administrative procedures to recover your stolen identity!
