Has a person close to you asked you for a loan via WhatsApp? It may have been a scam. 

A message from a person close to you, a friend or an acquaintance asking for a loan is what a new scam currently spreading on the messaging app WhatsApp looks like. Be careful and do not lend money to anyone unless you have spoken to them in person.

How does the scam work?

• You receive a message on WhatsApp from one of your contacts. It is not from an unknown number, as is sometimes the case with scams. The message appears to come from someone you know well and likely communicate with frequently via the app — a friend, colleague, or family member. 

• The person asks you for a loan and sends you a bank account number to which you should transfer the money. The conversation is likely to be free of errors and may seem very convincing. 

• However, once you send the money, it’s gone. In reality, none of your friends or relatives actually asked you for a loan. The messages were written by scammers who had gained access to the sender’s WhatsApp account and began messaging their contacts with a single aim — to steal their money.

How is it possible for scammers to gain access to WhatsApp accounts?

• A loan request sent in the name of a known contact is only the second phase of the scam. It begins much earlier; in the first phase, the scammers are not trying to access money, but to gain access to people’s WhatsApp accounts — and through them, to their contact lists.

• How does it work? A message arrives with a request to vote in a competition or survey, containing a link to cast your vote. The recipient clicks on the link and follows the instructions, which supposedly lead to successfully submitting a vote. In reality, however, this action allows the scammer to gain access to the recipient’s WhatsApp account. The scammer then begins messaging the person’s contacts in their name, asking for money.