WhatsApp users need to follow three rules to protect your account from scammers stealing data and money
The instant messaging app has over three billion active users, making it a huge target for cyber criminals.
1
Whatsapp users have been warned to take step to protect their accounts
Credit: Getty - Contributor
And Action Fraud has warned users that there has been a huge surge in reports of Whatsapp takeovers, where fraudsters gain access to the account and send messages to contacts with the aim of stealing data and money.
Scammers often also lock people out of their accounts, so they can't send warnings to friends and family members to tell them they've been hacked.
In a post on X, Action Fraud said: "Protect your WhatsApp account against hackers.
"We continue to see a rise in the number of reports relating to WhatsApp account takeovers."
So how can you protect your account from scams?
Set up two step verification
One of the best ways to prevent hackers from accessing your account is to set up two-step verification.
This means that nobody can log in to your account unless you verify the log in on a secondary device, such as a laptop or tablet.
Two-step verification makes it almost impossible for hackers to take over your phone, and also alerts you that someone is trying to access your account.
To set up two-step verification head to your Whatsapp app and click on settings, account, two-step verification and enable.
Never share an an activation code
One of the main ways hackers gain access to your account is by sending you a message claiming to be from Whatsapp, asking you to share the activation code that has been texted to you.
WhatsApp warning as grandad tricked into sending £24,000 to 'son' after scammers posed as him & stole credit card
If you share the code, hackers can then reset your password, and kick you out of your account.
"Never share your account's activation code (that 6 digit code you receive via SMS)," Action Fraud said.
Stop, call think
Finally, if you receive a message from a friend or family member asking you for money, try calling them before acting on it.
Calling your family member helps to confirm their identity, and that they are actually asking you for cash.
You could ask a question that only your loved one would know the answer to, or set up a code word in advance to ask the sender for if you worry they are not who they say they are.
Scammer often pretend to be people's children, beginning their messages with 'hi mum', or 'hi dad'.
They then claim to have lost their phone and be locked out of their bank account, praying on the parents' concern for their children's safety.
Eventually, the fraudsters beg the mum or dad for rent money, with parents often forking out as they genuinely believe the texts are from their children.
These messages often arrive via WhatsApp or text message, with scammers also sometimes pretending to be close friends or parents.
According to Action Fraud, these types of scam messages led to a financial loss of £226,744 in the UK between 2023 and 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Chelsea rocked by disappearance of £30,000 worth of equipment from Blues' Cobham training ground as police called in
CHELSEA have been rocked by the disappearance of £30,000 of camera equipment from their training ground. The Blues called Surrey Police after the gear was reported missing from their Cobham HQ. 3 Police were called to Chelsea's training ground this week Credit: GETTY 3 The Blues rang the old bill after over £30,000 worth of camera equipment went missing Credit: GETTY Play Dream Team now! Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season Free to play Over £100,000 in total prize money Play in Mini Leagues against your mates Submit a team for Gameweek 1 to enter £5,000 prize draw Play via Dream Team's app or website today! It remains unclear whether the hi-tech video equipment has just been mislaid and will come to light once all staff have returned from holiday. But the incident is suspicious enough for the club to have involved the police. Top football clubs like the world champion Blues make extensive use of video footage from training and matches to help players' physical, technical, tactical and mental performance. Chelsea declined to comment about the timing and circumstances of the discovery that the equipment was not where it should be. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS 'Sell him at half time' Arsenal fans demand struggling star be AXED after shocking display But if a crime has been committed, it won't be the first in the leafy Surrey suburbs to affect the club. A number of Chelsea players have been the victims of break-ins at their mansions near the club's training base. Raheem Sterling's home was targeted in December 2022 while he was with England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with a group of burglars stealing £300,000 of designer watches. Sterling flew home from the tournament to comfort his family before returning to the Middle East. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN 3 Albanian Emiliano Krosi was later jailed for more than 11 years for his part in the raid and 32 other burglaries across the South East. Sterling was the fourth Chelsea player to have his home burgled in a relatively short space of time. Drake hints Cole Palmer is inspiration behind his new album name as he shares brilliant video of Chelsea star Current club captain Reece James slammed the 'cowardly thieves' who broke into his house in December 2021 while he was playing for the Blues in the Champions League. The burglars got away with a safe that contained James' medal from Chelsea's Champions League win of that year, as well as the Euro 2020 runners-up medal he earned with England. At least two other unnamed Chelsea players were understood to have suffered similar experiences around the same time
The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Shock WhatsApp block bans 6.8 MILLION people from app – exact rules you must never break to avoid same fate
See the rules every user must obey below WHAT'S 'APPENED? Shock WhatsApp block bans 6.8 MILLION people from app – exact rules you must never break to avoid same fate WHATSAPP has revealed its taken down 6.8million accounts in a huge crackdown on serious misuse. The Meta-owned messaging app said the banned accounts were linked to criminal scam centres targeting people across the world. 1 WhatsApp has worked with ChatGPT to disrupt one criminal scam gang Credit: Getty Many were tied to forced labour and run by organised crime gangs primarily situated in Southeast Asia, the firm claims. The 6.8million accounts in question were all banned in the first six months of 2025. "Based on our investigative insights into the latest enforcement efforts, we proactively detected and took down accounts before scam centers were able to operationalize them," the social networking giant said. "These scam centers typically run many scam campaigns at once – from cryptocurrency investments to pyramid schemes. "There is always a catch and it should be a red flag for everyone: you have to pay upfront to get promised returns or earnings." Meta notes one example where it worked with ChatGPT owner OpenAI to disrupt a criminal scam being run out of Cambodia. These tempted people with cash for liking social media posts to promote a fake rent-a-scooter pyramid scheme. It comes as a new group messaging safety overview is rolled out to users from today. This shows users key information when added to a group by someone not in their contacts. Meta has three tips to help individuals avoid being scammed on WhatsApp. WhatsApp reveals exacty how to block one of your contacts Pause Take time before you respond. Take time before you respond. Question : Question whether what's being asked makes sense and whether it's too good to be true. : Question whether what's being asked makes sense and whether it's too good to be true. Verify: If they're claiming to be a friend or family member, make sure that they are who they say they are by contacting that friend directly. "It's positive that WhatsApp has shut down 6.8 million accounts linked to scammers so far this year, but Meta must do much more to stop these criminals across all its platforms," said Lisa Webb, Which? Consumer Law Expert. "In 2023 alone, £341 million was lost to authorised push payment fraudsters - over half of those scams were reported as originating on Meta platforms. "For far too long, Meta has allowed scammers to run rampant across its platforms. "Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users are being inundated with fraudulent ads for everything from fake investment opportunities to dodgy products and non-existent job offers. 'Meta needs to ensure that scams are prevented from ever appearing on its platforms in the first place."
The Irish Sun
11 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Naked man wearing only balaclava & armed with a sex toy on stick has spent 5 YEARS terrorising tourists at hols hotspot
The man gave a bizarre answer for why he was wandering around the historic castle grounds in the nude BARE & DANGEROUS Naked man wearing only balaclava & armed with a sex toy on stick has spent 5 YEARS terrorising tourists at hols hotspot A NAKED man wearing only a balaclava and plastic clogs has been terrorising tourists with a sex toy on a stick. The chilling masked nudist is feared to have spent the past five years stalking hikers around a European holiday hotspot. Advertisement 4 Two female hikers took a picture of a naked man who had been wandering around the woods with a sex toy on a stick and wearing only a balaclava and plastic clogs Credit: Noviny 4 The women claimed the man was actually surprised to see them along the path as he assumed no one would visit the castle on a Monday Credit: Noviny 4 The man was found in the woodland areas in Gýmeš Castle, a popular hiking destination in Slovakia Credit: Getty Two female hikers who encountered the strange individual have revealed he was happy for them to picture him posing in the nude as he didn't think he was doing anything wrong. The unidentified intruder happily stood still as the women snapped him carrying his bizarre walking stick equipped with a sex toy on the end. It was taken on Monday near Gýmeš Castle, a popular hiking destination in Slovakia, according to local outlet TV JOJ. They claimed the man was actually surprised to see them along the path as he assumed no one would visit the castle on a Monday. Advertisement He reportedly apologised to the two hikers after realising how horrified they were. One of the tourists recalled: "He had a balaclava, a stick, and a dildo stuck to the stick. "We were scared of him, but he told us he was sorry, that he didn't want to scare us, so he asked us for directions because he thought that since it was Monday, he wouldn't meet anyone." As the strange encounter ended, both went their separate ways as the male exhibitionist started to wander back in the woodlands. Advertisement He then suddenly turned around and started to follow the women. Scared and unsure on what to do next, the women asked for a picture. Shocking moment completely naked man attacks driver in front of horrified kids She continued: "When I turned around, he turned and started following us. I was terribly scared inside. "No one would have believed that we could meet something like that in the forest, but he allowed us to take a picture of him without any problems. Advertisement "He said this was relaxation for him, that he often walks naked in the woods like this." The women then quickly left the man alone. One of the hikers added: "It was lucky that there were two of us. I can't imagine what I would have done if I had been alone." The freak sighting is now being investigated by police in the nearby city of Nitra. Advertisement We were scared of him, but he told us he was sorry, that he didn't want to scare us Female hiker They are looking for the man who now faces a potential public-order offence for walking around a public place with no clothes on. Police are also following up on two other encounters which reportedly took place in the same stretch of woods and again involved a naked man approaching walkers. They date back to 2020. It is still unknown if the same nudist in this weeks sighting was involved in all three incidents. Advertisement Police say there have never been any complaints of inappropriate sexual behavior or aggressively confronting visitors. It comes just weeks after an urgent search was launched for a mystery man who was prowling the streets wearing nothing but a mask and trainers. Lancashire Police have been on the hunt after CCTV captured the figure walking by houses in Lytham just before 1am on Friday, July 18. The Somerset Gimp A BRITISH man was found guilty in 2023 of being the "Somerset Gimp" after he was caught jumping in front of cars and scaring female drivers. Joshua Hunt, 32, dressed head-to-toe in a latex suit on multiple occasions in the Bleadon area of Somerset and terrorised people in the night. Bristol Magistrates' Court heard how he approached two women drivers on separate occasions on May 7 and 9. He wore his black outfit and a horrifying mask made out of tights he'd purchased from Asda shortly before heading out in the pitch black. Hunt also used UV paint to draw on eyes and a mouth for his days of torment. During the first incident, a woman was driving down a country lane with her husband and two kids when they spotted the creepy figure crawling on the ground. Just over 24 hours later, another woman was driving along the road with her sister-in-law and teenage boy in the car. As she drove round the corner she was met with a figure dressed in all black. He was arrested and apologised to the victims when giving evidence. Hunt claimed that he was wearing the outfit to go mudding, which he described as the act of covering himself in mud because he hated his body. He had told police he needed help when first detained due to his deteriorating mental health. But after a one day trial, he was found guilty of two offences under the Public Order Act of causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress after scaring female motorists in Somerset while dressed in a gimp suit. 4 It comes just weeks after an urgent UK search was launched for a mystery man who was prowling the streets wearing nothing but a mask and trainers Credit: Facebook
