Now scammers also use WhatsApp to convince contacts to transfer money on behalf of daughters, sons or grandchildren.
The police have now become aware of several cases in the districts of Lörrach and Waldshut in which contacted persons transferred money to unknown persons.
How do scammers work?
Police describe the scam as follows: People contacted receive a WhatsApp message from an alleged family member saying their cell phone is broken and they now have a new cell phone number.
Online banking is currently not possible with the new mobile number, but a transfer is urgently needed and contactees are asked to make this transfer for relatives.
“As often happens, contactees transfer the requested money in the belief that they are communicating with their child or grandchild,” writes the police, advising them to be particularly wary of WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers.
What do the police advise?
- Don’t autosave your number if people you know contact you on an unknown number.
- Ask the person you know about the old number.
- Money transfers via WhatsApp and other messaging services should always be suspicious and monitored.
- Pay attention to the security settings of the message service used.
The police also recommend informing the house bank and the police immediately in the event of fraud. Immediate action could prevent financial damage.
The police will answer further questions by email ([email protected]), There are other suggestions on the internet as well. (sk)
