AS social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter become more and more prominent in society, so are they increasingly targeted by cyber-criminals and fraudsters.
Since it was founded in 2009, WhatsApp has been bombarded with various scams and hoax messages. Some messages claimed that the popular platform would begin charging for its services unless the user forwarded the message to a specified number of contacts, while others alleged that the user’s application needed to updated and that they could do so by following the link at the end of the message (which led the unsuspecting victim to a subscription service).
Recently a new scam has emerged, and the WhatsApp users have been warned not to fall for the scam. The con involves a contact card that is sent to the user by a unknown international number, urging the user to call the contact sent in the message. In almost all of the instances the picture sent in the contact card features a beautiful woman.
When the users call the number it charges them premium rates. Some have claimed that it had depleted their airtime in a matter of seconds.
