Can Someone Use WhatsApp to Steal Your Information? Explained!

Undoubtedly, the use of social media applications has become extensive in recent years. It has been noticed that the growth of these applications is unmatchable when it comes to any other category of apps. According to statistics, 2.8 billion people use different social media channels.

But the cases of theft from these applications are also getting higher with every passing day. Among other apps, WhatsApp is among the top ways through which a user is getting scammed. Do you want to know how can someone use WhatsApp to steal your information?

You have come to the right blog on the internet. In this blog, we are going to show you how someone can steal your information using your WhatsApp account. Let’s get started and have a look at the following sections.

Can Someone Use WhatsApp to Steal Your Information?

Yes, a person can use WhatsApp to steal your information even without your notice. You will not experience any different activity on your account. But the scammers will use different approaches to accomplish such tasks without your notice.

It is not only limited to WhatsApp but you can also get scammed on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media applications. So, you should be aware of what you are getting in your account and how to tackle a problem if you experience it.

How Can Someone Steal Your Information Through WhatsApp?

To learn how can someone use WhatsApp to steal your information, you should have an understanding of its common thefts. Here we have listed a few common ways to scam WhatsApp users without letting them know.

Through Hijacking

The very common way to steal someone’s information is through WhatsApp Hijacking. Mostly, you will get a message from an unknown number pretending to be your friend, a hiring agency, or someone like them.

For example, I have got the following message in which the sender was claiming to make an offer that seems to be fake. Such messages are used by scammers for WhatsApp hijacking. You can also get such messages where you are given an offer or some reference of your friend.

Once they get your trust, they will ask you for some details like bank details, PIN code, etc to have money in your account. In turn, you may lose your account or money due to spamming in it.

By Hacking Voicemail

Another way to steal your information via WhatsApp that is used by scammers is your voicemail hijacking. Whenever you try to log in to your WhatsApp account in the application, you will get an OTP number of 6 digits.

You have to enter that number to verify that it’s you who is logging in. Through voicemail hijacking, scammers will get access to your device and steal that OTP. So, you will get an OTP but it will be used by them directly without your notice.

As you can get any message randomly, you mostly ignore such activities. But you should track a scammer on WhatsApp in such cases to avoid any big loss at the end of the day.

Using Compromised Apps

Have you ever noticed that an application asks you to give permission whenever you install it? Mostly, we don’t read the terms and conditions and allow the application to access everything written in the note.

In the end, you won’t know what the application is getting from you. Through such activities, your data can be stolen by online fraudulent people. For example, if you have downloaded a compromised application, you will never know who is at the backend and what they are getting.

Such people will get access to everything available on your mobile. It means you may give them access to your WhatsApp and other social media accounts. In turn, they can manage everything using that application even they can delete your WhatsApp account or perform other activities.

By Sharing Malicious Links

Have you ever gotten messages with links like those shown in the picture? Such messages are sent with a link in which they claim you will get a specific prize if you forward that message to several people and complete the task by opening it.

When you click on the link, you will end up with nothing but a bot sending your instructions. The time that you spend on the window will be used to steal your information. It might be possible that some malware-affected program is installed in your application just after you click on the link.

So, you should be careful while getting such messages as you may face different problems. By now, you have learned how can someone use WhatsApp to steal your information. It is time to keep an eye on some tips to avoid information theft.

What To Do To Avoid Information Theft Via WhatsApp?

While being an internet guy, you should be smart enough to recognize what is authentic and what is not. For example, if you are applying for an internship via LinkedIn, you shouldn’t start sending them your complete details without authentication.

You should first make sure that the company you are applying for is legal and authentic. For this purpose, you can check out their company’s profile, and page, and evaluate it thoroughly. You can also verify their authenticity by checking their contact details.

Along with this, you should never click on a link if you are getting it from someone you don’t know or trust. It is good to send those messages in spam and report them too. With this, you will be able to keep yourself safe as well as indicate to WhatsApp that this account might be spam.

Last but not least, don’t lose your control when someone is trying to get your trust. Don’t be an emotional fool and be active to understand what is happening. It is good to connect with the person directly that the new user is pretending to be for verification.

In turn, you will learn whether the person is authentic or someone is trying to be like them. You can also get an idea by checking their message style if you have ever communicated with them. With all these steps, you can easily avoid information theft via any social media app.

Final Wrapping

In this blog, we have discussed comprehensively how can someone use WhatsApp to steal your information. We have shared some common techniques followed by them and the way you can tackle them. It is now up to you how to be proficient and avoid the loss of your information and money.