WhatsApp Cyber Fraud: No OTP, no password, yet your WhatsApp account can be hacked – find out how! What is Ghost Pairing Scam?
WhatsApp Cyber Fraud: A very serious and shocking threat has emerged for WhatsApp users. Amidst the continuously rising cybercrimes, a new scam has been uncovered that requires neither an OTP nor a password. Cybersecurity company Gen Digital has revealed this new fraud, which has been named the "Ghost Pairing Scam." The most frightening thing about this scam is that the user doesn't even realize it, and their WhatsApp account falls under someone else's control.
Scam starts with a message from a contact you trust
The Ghost Pairing scam is entirely based on social engineering. It starts with a message from a contact you trust. The message is something like, "Hello, I found this photo of yours!" or a similar innocent-sounding message. As soon as the user clicks on the link provided to view the photo, they are redirected to a fake Facebook page. There, under the pretext of viewing the photo, the user is asked for verification.
User is asked to enter their phone number
On the fake page, the user is asked to enter their phone number. As soon as the number is entered, WhatsApp generates a pairing code. During this time, the hackers assure the user that this code is only for a security check. But as soon as the user enters that code into their WhatsApp, they unknowingly make the hacker's browser their Linked Device.
After this, the hacker gets complete access to the account through WhatsApp Web. They can read your messages, view files, and send messages to anyone on your behalf.
Why is it so difficult to detect?
This scam doesn't involve any flaw in WhatsApp's software. Instead, it misuses the app's Device Linking feature. The phone continues to function normally, so the user doesn't suspect that someone else is also viewing their messages. This is why this scam is spreading rapidly from one contact to another.
How to protect yourself
To protect yourself from this threat, regularly check your WhatsApp Settings ~ Linked Devices. If you see any unfamiliar device, log out immediately. Do not click on any unknown links or enter any pairing code in WhatsApp at someone's request. Also, always keep Two-Step Verification enabled on your WhatsApp account.