What is WhatsApp image scam? Here's how to stay safe and aware from it
India news | Latest in the series, scammers are now back with a new tactic - image scam. Here's all you need to know about it to keep yourself safe.
WhatsApp has always been the favourite place for scammers and frauds to lure people into scams. Be it dangerous links to OTP scams or the recent "digital arrest" scams - innocent people have been prey to scammers quite often. Latest in the series, scammers are now back with a new tactic - image scam. Here's all you need to know about it to keep yourself safe.
Jabalpur incident
In a recent concerning incident, a man from India's Jabalpur lost around $200,000 after downloading an image file sent via WhatsApp from an unknown number.
How the scam works?
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The scammers are operating using the technique of steganography - a method where malicious code is embedded within image files. A common form of the steganography technique is Least Significant Bit (LSB). This lets hide an information in the least significant bit of a media file.
Also read: From April 1, Indian govt can see your WhatsApp messages, emails. Here's what you need to know
Typically, these images consist three bytes of data corresponding to the colors red, green, and blue. As per experts, the hidden data is embedded in the fourth byte which is known as "alpha" channel.
When one opens the infected image, the malware is automatically installed on their device and access sensitive information.
Here's how to stay safe
- Do not download any photo, video, or link sent from any unknown numbers on WhatsApp.
- Disable the auto-download feature in WhatsApp settings.
- Avoid opening large or suspicious files, especially from unknown sources.
- Ignore and block calls and messages that seem suspicious.
- Educate others about such scams to help them stay alert.
- Report any incidents to the official Cybercrime portal: https://cybercrime.gov.in
(With inputs from agencies)
