WhatsApp Scam: This dangerous WhatsApp scam can access your personal and financial details – Times of India

A dangerous WhatsApp scam known as Rediroff.ru has been in circulation for the past few days now. With the phishing scam, fraudsters can access your personal and financial information, including bank and card details, by using social engineering methods. The phishing link can invade Windows PC as well as Android and iOS smartphones. Although it is not yet known when the scam was first reported, it has reached a larger audience during the Christmas season as it lures victims with promise of expensive Chirstmas gifts.
How the Rediroff.ru scam on WhatsApp takes place
Fraudsters first send a link to victims on WhatsApp. Once a user visits the link, the webpage claims that the user has a chance to win a reward by simply taking an anonymous survey. After users answer the questions in the survey, they are redirected to a different website where they are asked to fill out their information. The information asked by the website includes name, age, address, bank details and other personal data. The details that you provide can be used to make fraudulent transactions or it can be sold to criminals on the dark web.
The cybercriminals can also use the information that you provide to you to send spam and malicious emails. They can even install PUAs (potentially unwanted applications) on the victim’s device. The phishing websites first check the user’s IP address to determine their location and then change the language of the page and show various scam schemes that are suitable for their region.
How to protect yourself against Rediroff.ru WhatsApp scam
Whenever you receive a spam link with Rediroff.ru in the URL, you should immediately mark it as Spam and delete it. If you have clicked on any such link accidentally, you should scan your device for any adware, malware or PUAs. If you see ads in places they shouldn’t be and If you are redirected to suspicious sites whenever you search for something on the browser, the malware may have already infected your device. You should instantly uninstall any suspicious apps if you encounter any of such things on your smartphone.

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