If you receive an SMS followed by a message from a WhatsApp contact, be cautious: this is a strategy to gain control of your account on the messaging application.

The Mossos d’Esquadra have issued a warning on Twitter: if you receive an SMS and shortly thereafter one of your contacts messages you on WhatsApp asking you to forward it, do not trust them. This could be a scam to gain control of your account on the popular messaging application. The Civil Guard reported this same tactic over two years ago, and it has resurfaced due to a new wave of account theft attempts. The hackers’ objective is to hijack as many WhatsApp accounts as possible to gain access to numerous contacts and, consequently, many phones. In addition to the risks posed by unauthorized access to sensitive information within chats, experts warn that this scam can also serve as a method for distributing malicious software.

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