This was reported by the Postal Police, fact that implies a certain diffusion of the phenomenon : a scam aimed at the theft of the account is in progress WhatsApp , with the aggravating circumstance of playing on trust as the message, SMS, comes from a person in their address book . But let’s try to understand what it is.

It will have happened to everyone to change smartphone: when you insert the SIM in the new device and install WhatsApp, you will receive an SMS containing a 6-digit code, usually entered automatically by the system or more rarely by hand. It is a check / confirmation, to make sure that the account is actually associated with that phone number .

The scam circulating these days is sneaky: we receive an SMS from a friend with the following text:

?? Hi, I sent you a code by mistake, could you send it back to me ???

In total good faith and perhaps little experts in technological matters, it is natural to think “damn, sure”, responding with the transcription of TRUE message with the 6-digit code that WhatsApp sent to our terminal. Because someone, somewhere, entered our phone number to steal our account, but cannot finish the installation without that code .

The fault is not the friend or the friend , but of malicious software already present on YOUR terminal. Malicious people have already come into possession of the numbers in the address book and consequently they find a list of contacts in their hands, which in large percentage are associated with a WhatsApp account. What to do or better, what NOT to do, quoting the Postal Police directly?

– “ The codes that arrive are strictly personal and should never be shared, even if requested by your contact, friends or family “. In other words: IGNORE THE MESSAGE AND DO NOT REPLY

– “ Never click on any links in the messages “: clear and by now everyone should know .

– “You can activate the so-called ?? two-step verification ?? available in the ?? settings- account ?? of WhatsApp, which allows us to enter a personal six-digit code, which the system asks us at the first access and for all subsequent modification operations on our profile “

The first is enough: do not answer and, if willing, report everything to the Postal Police.