A new type of fraud attempt via WhatsApp. DNSC warning

Voting for Adelina is a new fraud attempt targeting Romanian users' WhatsApp accounts used by attackers for online financial fraud. The warning comes from the National Cyber Security Directorate.

Indications of the fraud attempt

• Victim/potential victim receives the message via WhatsApp: Hi! Please vote for Adeline in this poll, she is my friend's daughter from Bucharest, the main prize is a scholarship for free education in France, this is very important for her. Thank you very much!, as well as a link to a phishing site, which usually contains the words vote and dance, and at the end the extension ".top/home".
  
  
• Once the website and the vote button are accessed, you are asked to "connect to WhatsApp to be able to vote". At this point, the user is asked for their phone number. The victim receives a code which, entered "for voting", gives the attackers access to their WhatsApp account.
  
  
• Afterwards, the victim finds that messages have been sent to his entire address book and that the account is in the possession of the attackers. The National Cyber Security Directorate noted that two types of messages are sent at this stage:
  • replicated the original message in an attempt to compromise other WhatsApp accounts using the same method;
  • asking for money: "Hi, can you lend me 1800 RON? I need it on my card or Revolut, I'll pay you back tomorrow."

Tips to protect yourself

• Don't act in haste when you receive WhatsApp messages;
• Do not click on suspicious links. 
• Get in touch with the person whose identity is being used to help resolve the confusion caused by fraud as quickly as possible.

If you have made a payment to the attackers and you are a BT customer, contact the bank immediately: 0264 308 055, contact@btrl.ro.