Whatsapp scammers never sleep. Every day, they find new fraud tricks that they apply thus many of us fall victims.
What I am sharing is what exactly happened to me, to an extent that the scammer succeeded in taking full control of my Whatsapp number for an hour.
Had it not been for a coworker on condition of anonymity asked me why I was sending him financial assistance help via WhatsApp despite being in the same office, I wouldn’t have known that my number was under the scammer’s control.
If you are reading this, take it as a measure to avoid falling victim to this latest Whatsapp scam 2023.
How it happened
On July 10, 2022, I was contacted by this +2347012270314 number with a Hi message. Being the person behind this website, what came into my mind was similar to what others usually inquire from me.
I responded with an hai, and the sender responded by asking my location. I answered that in Uganda, and also told him how he was supposedly from Nigeria according to the country code of his number. Quickly he told me how he was a Nigerian but living in South Africa.
Before responding, I wondered why a Nigerian in South Africa would still be using the Nigerian number on Whatsapp. But I let this go since it is widespread just like I have continued to use my UK phone number on Whatsapp even after traveling back to my home country. Something else that came into my mind was that my friend was scammed before in the name of UBA Bank ATM fraud by one Reverand J. G (fake name) whom we later discovered was from Nigeria. Still, I let that go since not all Nigerians are scammers at least I know.
I responded OK. And he quickly asked me this question;
Did you know you can earn 20$ dollar with your number? He asked if I had a wallet as well. And if I was interested in the opportunity.
I responded that I only had PayPal and asked if that was a payment option. He agreed to all questions and asked me for my phone number that I also shared. He asked if I had received the code.
On my Whatsapp phone screen, I saw a notification;
Whatsapp Registration Code Requested
Whatsapp registration code was requested for your number.
If you didn’t do this, don’t share the code with anyone.
I ignored the message and went on to share the Whatsapp verification code even before I inquired what the business opportunity was all about.
Looks like I forgot all about sharing the code and resorted to my office routine.
It is at that moment that a coworker reached out!
That is how I lost control of my number. If you think you are smart to get past the Whatsapp fraud, I guess you are wrong. Unless you are vigilant, trust me these Whatsapp scammers are more than smart.
How It Ended?
I took control of my Whatsapp number by verifying it again on my phone. But, many messages started coming in asking about the problem I had and some asking when I was going to pay.
Final Word
If you don’t want to fall victim to online fraud primarily via Whatsapp, try to avoid any form of communication that can lure you into sharing your code and other vital information. Doing so will allow you to stay safer and far from the kind of fraud where many people end up victims – just like I was.