For those who trust their privacy, Whatsapp is a great messaging app. This is due to the fact that its recipients and senders can only read all messages, since the program uses end-to – end encryption to encrypt them. However, hackers who have recently found a way to gain access to WhatsApp accounts are drawn by the confidential information that can be shared via such messages. They’re apparently doing this using the voicemail of the victim. In order to gain control of the user’s voicemail services, cybercriminals are searching for users that have default voicemail PINs that are simple to guess. We’re going to tell you all about the WhatsApp voicemail scam if you continue reading our blog, and also tell you how.
How does the voicemail scam on WhatsApp work?
The trick is to make sure the call goes to voicemail. This is why, in the expectation that the intended victim can sleep and not pick up the phone, scammers do it late at night. Another significant condition for an attack is that a poor voicemail PIN must be accessible to the consumer. This should preferably be the default PIN that comes with the service from the very beginning, as it is four characters long and thus easy to guess in most cases. All the hackers have to do in that case is guess the PIN of the voicemail. To enter the defined code and access the user account from your computer, then listen to the WhatsApp voice message. Cybercriminals will do so to ensure that the user is unable to return to their account if the victim does not have two-factor authentication allowed. Therefore, hackers can not only access potentially sensitive messages, but also hijack an account, communicate with available contacts, etc, if an attack is successfully launched.
How to defend yourself from voicemail scams from WhatsApp?
The first thing users can do using WhatsApp and voicemail services is to ensure that they have a safe PIN for voicemail. Chances are you are still using the default PIN that ships with the service if you’ve never changed it before. On the other hand, if you have replaced the default Voicemail PIN with a PIN with the minimum number of characters available, it is suggested that you change the PIN with a combination that uses the maximum number of characters to make it hard for hackers to guess. You can change your PINs using the Voicemail settings on your cell phone. You can call your telephone service provider and ask them to assist you if you are unsure of how to adjust your voicemail PIN.
In addition to changing your voicemail PIN, if you think it may also be weak, we suggest doing the same with your WhatsApp password. All you need to know about how to build a powerful voicemail PIN or password can be found right here. If you want to secure your WhatsApp account, there is also one more extra measure you should take. What we’re talking about is two-factor authentication activation. It’s easy to do, and most importantly, it will make it impossible for others to access the account that you set up. You may refer to the instructions below if you want to activate this function but are not sure how. Scam Avoidance Tips
How to allow two-factor authentication through WhatsApp
The following instructions show you how to enable two-factor authentication for those using WhatsApp on Android devices.
- Open the WhatsApp app .
- Go to “Settings” by clicking the “Menu” icon (in the upper right corner ).
- Select “Account” and go to “Two-Step Verification Settings” .
- Click Enable .
- Create a six-character password to be prompted for when logging in from another device.
- Confirm your password.
- Enter the email address that will be used in case you need to recover a forgotten password for confirmation.
- Click Next and confirm your email address.
Note: Both password verification and recovery email can be changed if needed after two – step verification of settings.
If we don’t want anyone to violate our privacy, the WhatsApp voicemail scam just proves how important it is to protect each of our accounts. Hackers will find inventive ways to abuse them, even if we don’t use an account as much, or if it’s not as relevant as our email or social media accounts. Now that you understand how your privacy can be compromised by a poor voicemail PIN, we highly suggest that you take the risk and substitute it as soon as possible.
