Austrian police warn public about new 'WhatsApp scam'
People in Austria have been targeted by scammers on messaging services such as WhatsApp. Here's what you need to know.
Austrian police have warned the public about a scam that is sweeping through the country: criminals pretend to be family members or friends of the victims and try to scam them out of thousands of euros.
The new scam has been detected throughout Austria in the last few weeks, police said. The fraudsters send the victim a message via WhatsApp or other messenger services pretending to be a relative or a friend and saying they have a new mobile phone number.
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They often start with a greeting such as "Hello, Mom", suggesting that the person contacting is the victim's child. The person targeted then reacts as they usually would to a message sent by a family member and the written conversations continue.
The scammers make up excuses for the new phone number (usually saying there was a problem with their previous device) and tell stories to avoid a phone call (such as saying that the new device needs to be "set up" before calls).
Money requests
The criminals then tell the victim that they cannot make bank transfers due to the change in phone devices and ask for help in doing an "urgent transfer". They will then say they can pay back the victim/relative in a matter of days once their internet banking is set up on the new phone.
"The amounts demanded range between €2,500 to €4,600 currently", the police said.
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What makes the con particularly tricky is that the scammers can find pictures of the family members they are impersonating online. So, the victim receives a message "Hello, Mom, this is my new phone number" from a WhatsApp number with their son's photo, for example.
How do I avoid falling for this (and other) scams?
The Austrian police reiterated that you should never transfer sums of money without cross-checking. "Try to reach the person concerned in person", they said.
"Contact the person concerned by calling him or her back at the telephone number you normally use", the police added.
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Additionally, the authorities recommend that people do not use the voice call function of the messenger service to contact criminals by phone and do not, under any circumstances, pay any money. "Consider whether the transfer is at all plausible for the person concerned (reason for payment, amount etc.)", they said.
Finally, do not disclose any access data or your bank details. Report the sender of the messages to the corresponding messenger service and block the phone number.
"If damage has already occurred, file a complaint at the nearest police station", the Austrian authorities said.
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Austrian police have warned the public about a scam that is sweeping through the country: criminals pretend to be family members or friends of the victims and try to scam them out of thousands of euros.
The new scam has been detected throughout Austria in the last few weeks, police said. The fraudsters send the victim a message via WhatsApp or other messenger services pretending to be a relative or a friend and saying they have a new mobile phone number.
READ ALSO: Austrian police warn public about new ‘fake cops’ scam
They often start with a greeting such as "Hello, Mom", suggesting that the person contacting is the victim's child. The person targeted then reacts as they usually would to a message sent by a family member and the written conversations continue.
The scammers make up excuses for the new phone number (usually saying there was a problem with their previous device) and tell stories to avoid a phone call (such as saying that the new device needs to be "set up" before calls).
Money requests
The criminals then tell the victim that they cannot make bank transfers due to the change in phone devices and ask for help in doing an "urgent transfer". They will then say they can pay back the victim/relative in a matter of days once their internet banking is set up on the new phone.
"The amounts demanded range between €2,500 to €4,600 currently", the police said.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What to do if you experience online abuse in Austria
What makes the con particularly tricky is that the scammers can find pictures of the family members they are impersonating online. So, the victim receives a message "Hello, Mom, this is my new phone number" from a WhatsApp number with their son's photo, for example.
How do I avoid falling for this (and other) scams?
The Austrian police reiterated that you should never transfer sums of money without cross-checking. "Try to reach the person concerned in person", they said.
"Contact the person concerned by calling him or her back at the telephone number you normally use", the police added.
READ ALSO: Austrian police warn residents of fake DHL text message scam
Additionally, the authorities recommend that people do not use the voice call function of the messenger service to contact criminals by phone and do not, under any circumstances, pay any money. "Consider whether the transfer is at all plausible for the person concerned (reason for payment, amount etc.)", they said.
Finally, do not disclose any access data or your bank details. Report the sender of the messages to the corresponding messenger service and block the phone number.
"If damage has already occurred, file a complaint at the nearest police station", the Austrian authorities said.
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