POLICE fraud experts are warning that criminals are targeting What’s App users on North Yorkshire phones.
Steve Harris of the county force’s cyber crime unit said it had received a lot of calls from people saying control of their WhatsApp had been transferred by someone unknown to the other person’s phone.
The criminals send messages falsely claiming they had been locked out of their own phone and asking for a WhatsApp number which they then use to take control of the victim’s WhatsApp.
“They go on to commit fraud by impersonating you to someone else,” he said.
Criminals can use their control to get hold of other people’s WhatsApp details.
They can also sell the details they get for money.
The detective said WhatsApp takeovers had become particularly common in North Yorkshire in the last couple of months.
He recommends that legitimate WhatsApp users set up a “two-factor” verification with a number that only they know in addition to the WhatsApp provided number to protect their WhatsApp.
He was speaking in a Facebook public briefing on cyber crime in North Yorkshire.
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