If you have received a strange message from a friend or one of your contacts on WhatsApp asking you to urgently send money, wait a minute before you react.
It might not be them.
Across Eswatini, people are waking up to find that their WhatsApp accounts have been hacked and scammers are using their identities to trick their contacts into sending eWallets and sending them money for whatsoever.
In many of the cases I have heard about, the hack begins when the user clicks on a suspicious link, often disguised as a giveaway, job opportunity, or helping that person win something by voting for them on that link.
That one click is all it takes. The scammers gain control of the account, lock out the real owner and start messaging friends and family with desperate-sounding requests for money.
One lady who preferred to be anonymous said, “I clicked on what I thought was a link from one of my contacts who was asking me to vote for them to qualify for a competition they had joined.
Minutes later, my WhatsApp was frozen.
My friends started calling, asking if I really needed money. It was terrifying.”
What makes this scam even more painful is that it looks and feels so real.
The messages come from someone you know. The profile picture is familiar.
The tone is convincing. And because we trust our loved ones, many people send money before realising they’ve been scammed.
But the dangers go beyond just money.
Once someone has control of your WhatsApp, they may access sensitive conversations, private photos or even impersonate you further on other platforms.
So how can you protect yourself?
- Never click on links you don’t recognise, even if they come from a friend. Always confirm first.
- Enable two-step verification on your WhatsApp account. It adds an extra layer of security.
- Be wary of any messages asking for money, no matter how convincing they sound.
- If your account is hacked, inform your contacts immediately and report it to WhatsApp.
- Educate your children and elderly relatives, they are often the most vulnerable.
Scammers are getting smarter, but we can be smarter too.
In this digital age, staying safe online is just as important as locking your front door.
Let’s look out for one another, question suspicious links, and always double-check before we click.
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