Internet scam attempts are the order of the day. Just a few days ago we were talking about a new type of scam on pages like Wallapop that takes advantage of the DHL company to simulate fraudulent money transfers. A new stream of scams is coming in the form of WhatsApp messages. Most are easily identifiable. Others not so many. Let's look at several of the most common WhatsApp scams during 2019 and this 2020.
index of contents
- The scam of the number 693955444 and the 636634795 and the 1,500 euros
- PCcomponentes is giving away 900 iPhone X for its 20th anniversary
- The 33 euros solidarity scam and the flower of abundance
- Adidas gives away free sneakers and shoes for its anniversary
- The fake WhatsApp verification SMS
- Spotify is donating premium accounts on their site
- Carrefour, Mercadona, LIDL and IKEA give away coupons with money
The scam of the number 693955444 and the 636634795 and the 1,500 euros
With several years behind him, this hoax is gaining strength again. This is not a common scam, but rather a fraud attempt warning that comes in the form of a WhatsApp chain and alerts you to the following:
“If they call you from tlf: 636634795. Do not call to see who called you. It's a booby phone. The call will be charged at € 1500. It is information from consumer associations. Pass it on.
It is a very elaborate scam. Watch out.
They sent it to me from the OCU legal department. Pass it on to all your contacts is urgent
I have looked for it on the internet in case it was a hoax, but even Telefónica has published it on its website. "
The National Police itself has already denied it on its official Twitter account. Most likely, both phone numbers belong to individuals who have little or nothing to do with hoax.
You get x Whatsapp: "They call 911140XXX. Do not call to see who it is. Trap. They charge the call at € 1,500"
- National Police (@policia) June 26, 2013
From the body itself they advise not to disseminate its content so as not to continue expanding the hoax.
PCcomponentes is giving away 900 iPhone X for its 20th anniversary
The company of Spanish origin has been the target of several scams forged nationwide. The message, again in the form of a WhatsApp string, ensures the following:
“* HEY !! PCcomponentes is giving away 900 iPhone X for its 20th anniversary. "
Along with this message is a link that will take us to a page very similar to PCcomponentes. The purpose of this is to urge us to enter several of our personal data and our bank account number or credit card number.
Hello @policia and @pccomponentes. This hoax is circulating, via WhatsApp, on behalf of the aforementioned company. Obviously, the chain is not doing such a waste. I would pray that if you have not already done so, you would spread it out to prevent it from biting some unwary. Thank you very much. pic.twitter.com/XkDB3QjBrW
- El Condotiero (@SrRedcap) September 22, 2019
Of course, PCcomponentes has already confirmed the falsehood of this message : it is not giving away any iPhone for its 20th anniversary.
The 33 euros solidarity scam and the flower of abundance
Extremely popular during the last four months of 2019. This scam bases its system on what has historically been known as a pyramid scam where from the lowest step (us) an amount of 33 euros is invested in a common fund and then 1,848 are received euros after spreading the chain to two new contacts.
Image belonging to Androidphoria.
From the Internet Security Office they have already confirmed that we are facing a type of scam never seen to date . They also encourage you to delete the message to prevent it from spreading to other contacts.
Adidas gives away free sneakers and shoes for its anniversary
The latest fraud attempt this Christmas has come from the hand of Adidas , the well-known sports clothing and footwear brand. Both the body of the message and the intention of the original message is very similar to that of PCcomponentes.
Image taken from Maldita.es.
Roughly speaking, from the very body of the message we will be prompted to access the Adidas page through a link to answer a series of questions , after which we will unlock a gift in the form of sneakers. This scam has also spread to Facebook and Facebook Messenger, where the body of the message and the linked web page do not differ at all from the WhatsApp scam. The objective again is to obtain data of a different nature.
The fake WhatsApp verification SMS
Last September the Civil Guard in collaboration with the OCU warned of a new type of phishing that has spread in the form of SMS and whose objective is no more than to gain access to our WhatsApp account .
🚨 # GDTAlerta🚨Have you received an #SMS or #WhatsApp message reporting alleged attempts to log into your #WhatsApp account, asking for your verification code or to click on a link? #NiCaso, #cybercriminals try to steal your account // t.co / 2XKzRrnxMP
- GDT Guardia Civil (@GDTGuardiaCivil) September 23, 2019
As indicated by the OCU on its official page, the SMS is accompanied by a link that we will be prompted to click . It will be then when the hacker takes full control of our account. Albert Rivera himself, former Spanish politician and former president of the Ciudadanos political formation, already denounced this case a few weeks ago.
The best thing to do to avoid this type of fraud is to block the sender and delete all the SMS that contain this link.
Spotify is donating premium accounts on their site
Another fairly common scam attempt puts Spotify in the spotlight. From a message in the form of a WhatsApp chain, a link is attached to a page traced to Spotify.
Again we will have to register our personal data to receive the prize that the message promises, which in this case is based on a premium Spotify account for life. The National Police Corps has already confirmed that it is a scam, and its objective combines the hiring of premium SMS with the installation of malware on the mobile phone and the theft of personal data.
Carrefour, Mercadona, LIDL and IKEA give away coupons with money
The best-known commercial areas nationwide are the main focus of several scams carried out through WhatsApp. The way to proceed is similar to the previous cases: we will have to fill out a survey with our data and our telephone number . Subsequently, a discount coupon will be unlocked that we can use at Carrefour, IKEA, LIDL or any commercial area.
Once again, the Police have confirmed that all these promotions are false, since they are limited to collecting data to later sell them to third parties.