Dangerous WhatsApp Sweepstakes - You should not open this link
Created: 2022-09-02, 2:16 p.m
By: Victoria Krumbeck
The Internet is a paradise for fraudsters, because personal data can be stolen from users with just one click.
This danger now lurks behind a competition on WhatsApp.
Munich – There are some strange messages circulating on WhatsApp.
Among other things, annoying chain letters and malicious sweepstakes by scammers.
Such a competition is in circulation again.
WhatsApp users are warned against opening the sweepstakes link.
This is because sensitive data such as passwords can be recorded.
The scam is also popular with emails
WhatsApp competition: users are not allowed to click on this link
The competition is called "Beck's Bier Oktoberfest 2022 Raffle" and advertises that you can win 5,000 mini fridges.
But the Becks brewery has nothing to do with the competition.
It is a classic "phishing" attempt.
The word "phishing" is made up of the English word "password" and "fishing".
It describes tricks that are used to get personal data.
This includes passwords or bank details.
There is a raffle that claims users can win a mini fridge, but it is a scam.
© Screenshot Twitter
WhatsApp users should not click the link under any circumstances.
This ends with the Russian country domain "ru".
According to the Netzwelt
portal , it
is a subscription trap.
Anyone who clicks on the link and registers for the avoidable competition concludes a subscription to a service.
This debits more than 40 euros from the specified account every two weeks.
Consumers should therefore be careful.
WhatsApp messages: Beware of phishing emails too
Not only WhatsApp is affected by the phishing messages.
Users often receive suspicious emails as well.
Fraudsters managed to swindle a total of 44,000 euros through such emails.
The consumer advice center has listed a few points that can be used to identify suspicious emails.
The first signs are grammatical and spelling mistakes, a missing salutation or the messages are written in a foreign language.
In general, consumers should be careful with their data.
WhatsApp itself is also repeatedly criticized for its data protection.
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