Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.

"WhatsApp Messenger has Expired" Phishing Scams
WhatsApp Messenger has Expired Phishing Scams

Online users who have received messages claiming their WhatsApp Messenger accounts will expire are asked to delete the messages and should not follow the instructions in them. This is because WhatsApp accounts do not expire and the messages are fakes that are being sent by cybercriminals to their potential victims. The fake messages or phishing scams are being used to trick potential victims into clicking the link within them, which will take them to a fake WhatsApp website where they will be asked to purchase a WhatsApp Messenger extension that doesn't exist.

Sample of a "WhatsApp Messenger has Expired" Scam

From: +44 7950 081640

Warning! Your account WhatsApp Messenger has expired.Registration not been renewed will expire within 24 hours.

On the fake website, visitors are asked to enter their credit card information to pay for the fake WhatsApp extension. If they enter the requested information their credit cards will be charged for a service that doesn't exist and their credit card information will be stolen and used fraudulently.

WhatsApp users who have already been tricked by the phishing scam are asked to contact their banks and have them cancel the fraudulent transactions and refund their money. They may need to get a new credit card to prevent the cybercriminals from occasionally charging their credit cards for an undetermined amount.

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