A new online scam has been doing rounds, this time on the instant messaging app Whatsapp.
Scammers, in disguise of executives from online delivery companies are sending Whatsapp messages to users, which on clicking directs them to a fake website, installing information on which leads to users being duped off their bank savings.
The magnitude of online scams have heightened in the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a report published by Trak.in December 2020, the increased shift towards online and cloud based home-stations and offices, amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has raised phishing and fraudulent cyber-crime activities by a whopping 242%, compared to the same period in 2019.
Furthermore, about 330 crore attacks were made on Remote Desktop Protocols in the Jan-Nov period in 2020, with India recording 3.6 crore such cases during this period, up from 1.8 crore counts in 2019.
Cyber phishers and scammers are coming up with newer and more sophisticated ways to scam people, which makes it more important for you to be attentive.
New Online Delivery Scam on Whatsapp
According to the Russian security researchers at Kaspersky, online scammers are targeting people by sending them malicious links on Whatsapp.
These phishers pose as executives from online delivery companies. They reach out to the customer and tell them a package that needs to be delivered at their residence. They send you a link on Whatsapp, which leads you to a fake website.
Once directed on the website, you are asked to make a minimal amount payment to ensure the package receives you safely. If a customer falls for this, he/she not only pays the amount but also enters their bank details. This is when the scammer gets hold of your bank account.
Speaking on this scam, Kaspersky lab said, “Unexpected parcels requiring payment by the recipient remained one of the most common tricks this past quarter. The reason for the invoice from the ‘mail company’ could be anything from customs duties to shipment costs.
When trying to pay for the service, as with compensation fraud, victims were taken to a fake website, where they risked not only losing the amount itself (which could be far higher than specified in the email) but also spilling their bank card details”.
Generally, when you place an order for a product online, you remember the details of delivery and when the order was placed. On purchasing products from Amazon or Flipkart, you are provided with an estimated due date for the product delivery.
However, major targets of this Whatsapp delivery scam are people who do not very well remember their online order(s). This is not to eradicate the fact that most people are falling for their scam, despite maintaining caution.
Customers have to know that no online platform asks you to pay for your product delivery before it reaches you, if the payment mode is cash on delivery.
Also, no one is going to ask you to pay an extra amount for safe delivery of your product.