According to CSA, the number of account takeover cases that the authority had documented as of the end of April 2024 was 187, which is the same as the total number of cases recorded in 2023.
“The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has noticed increased incidents of individuals falling victim to social engineering and sharing their WhatsApp verification codes with malicious actors, leading to unauthorised access and account takeover. One hundred and eighty-seven (187) reports have been recorded as of April 2024, equalling what was recorded for the entire year of 2023,” the CSA revealed.
Malicious actors pose as well-known people or powerful people, usually as managers of groups where the final victim is a member, according to CSA. They also construct convincing messages in an effort to trick their targets into disclosing their verification code.
According to the authorities, these malicious actors ask their victims to share the code that they will receive through text message informing them of an ongoing upgrade on their group platforms.
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