Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces warn of WhatsApp hacking through fraudulent links and scam operations

The General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces has renewed its warning to citizens about the increasing number of online fraud attempts via the WhatsApp application.

In recent cases, unknown individuals have been exploiting hacked WhatsApp accounts belonging to known contacts (friends or relatives). They then message the victim’s contacts, sending fake invitation links to join WhatsApp groups under the pretext that they include mutual friends.

It has been found that these links lead to fraudulent pages that ask users to enter or share a verification code (OTP) received via SMS. This allows the scammer to register the phone number on their own device and gain full control over the victim’s WhatsApp account.

After taking control of the account, the scammer continues contacting the victim’s contacts in the same way, and may also request money through money transfer services used in Lebanon, impersonating the account owner and using various pretexts.

First: The Directorate urges citizens to:

* Avoid clicking on any untrusted group invitation link, even if it appears to come from a known person, unless you confirm directly with them
* Never share your verification code (OTP) with anyone under any circumstances
* Verify any financial request by directly contacting the account owner
* Enable the Two-Step Verification feature on WhatsApp

Second: How to enable Two-Step Verification on WhatsApp:

* Open the WhatsApp application
* Go to Settings
* Select Account
* Tap Two-Step Verification
* Choose Enable
* Create a 6-digit PIN and keep it saved (safe)
* It is recommended to add an email address (optional)
* Tap Save / Done

Once this feature is activated, scammers will not be able to access the account even if they obtain the verification code, without also knowing the PIN.