SINGAPORE: The police on Wednesday (Nov 12) warned of a new method scammers are employing to take over victims’ WhatsApp accounts – sending SMSes containing phishing links to deceive victims.
In such scams, victims would receive SMSes informing them of issues with their WhatsApp accounts due to prolonged lack of verification.
They would then be prompted to verify their accounts through a phishing link that leads to a fake WhatsApp webpage, said the police.
When victims enter their mobile number and verification code on the fake WhatsApp webpage, their WhatsApp account would be taken over by scammers, who would then send fraudulent loan requests to the victims’ contacts.
Victims would realise that they have been scammed only when they are logged out of their WhatsApp accounts, discover unknown devices linked to their accounts, or when they are notified by their contacts on the fraudulent loan requests, said the police.
Those who suspect their WhatsApp accounts have been compromised should contact WhatsApp for recovery of their accounts at the following link: https://faq.whatsapp.com/1131652977717250
Members of the public can also call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline on 1799 to check.
According to the latest figures released by the police in August, close to $500 million was lost to scams in the first half of 2025, with almost 20,000 cases reported in Singapore. - The Straits Times/ANN
