'Vote for my child': Spanish police warn of new scam aiming to gain access to your WhatsApp account
The scam starts with a seemingly harmless message sent by a known contact which increases the likelihood of trusting it
The National Police have warned WhatsApp users about a new scam that is easy to fall for because of how innocent it looks. It involves a message sent by an existing contact - a friend or a family member - who sends an appeal for support: "Vote for my child." Who wouldn't want to help an acquaintance who asks you to vote for their child to win a competition? But, in this case, kindness can be dangerous and lead to your WhatsApp account getting hijacked.
According to police sources, this is a "highly effective" scam precisely because it relies on the trust placed in close contacts.
The victim unknowingly hands over control of their account to cybercriminals who, in a matter of seconds, gain access to all conversations on the messaging app
The mechanics of the operation are quite simple. The text usually includes a phrase such as "Vote for my child" or "I need your vote for a school competition." The message is accompanied by a link to a website that, at first glance, appears legitimate. However, the page is actually a fraudulent site designed to deceive the user.
Once inside, the site asks the visitor to enter their telephone number "to confirm the vote". It then asks for a six-digit code that is supposed to validate the participation. This code is sent by SMS to the user's mobile phone, which increases trust in the process. However, according to the National Police, these six digits are, in reality, the WhatsApp verification code - the same one used to activate the account on a new device.
Once the code is entered on the fraudulent website, the victim unknowingly hands over control of their account to the cybercriminals who, in a matter of seconds, gain access to all their chats and can send new messages to other contacts, extending the scope of the scam.
