What is ‘WhatsApp Screen Mirroring Fraud' that can drain your bank account and lead to identity theft? Learn how you can avoid it

Time of India

a day ago

What is this WhatsApp Screen Mirroring Fraud?
How does the WhatsApp Screen Mirroring Fraud work?
1: Trust
2: The initiation
3: The Theft
4. Alternative way: Keyboard logger
5. Using the stolen information
Cyber crime
A new wave of digital fraud is sweeping across India, targeting unsuspecting users through a sophisticated scam known as WhatsApp Screen Mirroring Fraud. This alarming trend exploits trust, technology, and urgency—leaving victims vulnerable to financial and identity theft.
Fraudsters typically pose as representatives from trusted institutions such as banks or financial service providers. Under the guise of offering assistance, they convince victims to install remote access or screen mirroring apps.
Once active, these apps allow scammers to view everything on the victim's screen in real time, including:
One-Time Passwords (OTPs) Banking app activity UPI PINs Personal messages Identity documents
"With this access, scammers can instantly steal funds, hijack accounts, and impersonate victims—often before the individual realizes what's happening."
Most banking apps in India have adequate protection from these type of frauds
"Most of the top banking apps in India do have security features like secure screen overlays, screen capture lockdown and session timeout capabilities. But the efficacy of these protection measures can differ considerably between platforms."
"While certain apps prevent screen sharing or screen recording directly, others might lack strong controls especially on rooted or compromised devices. Additionally, if customers inadvertently provide screen-sharing permissions, some third-party applications can bypass such security measures. It's an area where ongoing innovation and stronger app-level controls are necessary in order to remain ahead of changing fraud schemes."
How to protect yourself from WhatsApp screen sharing fraud?
Dos
Verify the authenticity of callers claiming to be from banks or finance companies.
Enable screen-sharing only when absolutely necessary and do it only with trusted contacts.
If you use an Android phone, disable the 'App installations from unknown sources' setting.
Block suspicious numbers immediately and report them to cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930.
Don'ts:
Avoid answering calls from unknown or suspicious numbers.
Never use financial apps (e.g. mobile banking, UPI apps, e-wallets) during screen-sharing.
Verify the caller's identity through official channels before engaging.
Avoid screen-sharing unless absolutely necessary and only with trusted contacts.
Enable two-factor authentication on all financial and messaging apps.
Keep your phone's operating system and apps updated to close security gaps.
Educate family members, especially elders, who are often targeted by such scams.
Notify your bank to freeze or secure your accounts.
DON'T:
Never answer calls from unknown numbers that pressure you to act quickly.
Avoid using financial apps during any screen-sharing session—even with trusted individuals.
Recently OneCard issued an advisory to its customers warning them about a potentially dangerous scam known as ' WhatsApp Screen Mirroring Fraud '. While it is relatively easy to avoid this scam, the main issue is not many people are aware of it and hence there are reports of people getting caught up in it. If you fall prey to this scam, you could end up losing access to your bank account, facing identity theft or suffering financial losses.OneCard in its advisory said: 'In this type of scam, fraudsters trick a person into enabling screen-sharing via WhatsApp. This way, the fraudsters gain access to the person's sensitive information such as OTPs, bank details, passwords, personal messages, etc. As a result, the person can fall prey to financial losses, account takeovers and even identify theft.'According to the advisory, here's how this fraud works:The fraudster poses as an employee of a trusted organisation like a bank or financial company. They falsely claim that there's an issue with your account and convince you to share your screen with them. This is how the fraud starts.The fraudster walks you through a tutorial on enabling screen-sharing on your device and then cleverly claims they can't see your screen properly and now need you to start a WhatsApp video call with them.The fraudsters can see your screen live while you're using a screen-sharing app. They start any banking transaction by claiming it's for verification. The moment you receive the OTP or enter your PIN/Password to approve the transaction, the fraudster is aware of it.The fraudster could use this alternative methd of installing a keylogger or keyboard logger into your mobile device. A keyboard logger is a type of software that monitors what you type on the virtual keyboard. This is also the reason why many banking websites provide an on-screen keyboard for you, since the keylogger can't capture what you enter using that on-screen keyboard.After the fraudster instals the malicious app or keyboard logger on your mobile device, they can steal your banking passwords, social media passwords, and more.The fraudster can use the information collected from your mobile device to make unauthorised transactions, mess with your banking accounts and even commit identity fraud.Sheetal R Bhardwaj, executive member of Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS), explains:Tarun Wig, Co-Founder and CEO, Innefu Labs, explains:According to the advisory, here are some dos and don'ts that, if you follow them properly, can help you avoid falling victim to the WhatsApp screen sharing fraud:You can also call the cyber crime helpline at 1930 or go to https://cybercrime.gov.in/Bhardwaj explains what you can do to stay safe: