As India is preparing to welcome the New Year a new kind of scam has surfaced online. The Hyderabad cyber crime unit has issued a warning alerting the users about a new type of WhatsApp scam which is spreading rapidly.In a post shared on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) Hyderabad Cyber Crime Unit said that fake ‘Happy New Year’ greetings, gift offers, SBI credit card deals, travel discounts and event tickets are being widely circulated on WhatsApp. Clicking on these fake links will lead to the installation of malware on your devices.
How the WhatsApp New Year Scam works
Informing the WhatsApp users, Hyderabad Cyber Crime Unit in a post shared on X wrote, “Cyber Scam Alert During New Year Celebrations.With the New Year celebrations underway, fake “Happy New Year” greetings, gift offers, SBI credit card deals, travel discounts, and event tickets are being widely circulated through WhatsApp, SMS, and social media.Clicking on such suspicious links may lead to the installation of malicious applications on your mobile phone.This can result in theft of OTPs and banking details, misuse of WhatsApp accounts, and other serious cyber risks.Stay alert. Do not click on suspicious or unknown links.In case of cyber fraud, report immediately:Call 1930http:// cybercrime.gov.in#hyerabadcybercrimeps#CyberSafety #NewYearScamAlert.”
The cyber crime unit has also urged the users to immediately call and report the fraud on 1930.
How to stay safe from the WhatsApp Happy New Year scam
In order to stay safe from the WhatsApp scam, users can follow the below mentioned tips:
