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. 

Advertisment

Also read: Know what is 'Pink WhatsApp scam' and here's how you can protect your phone from it

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.  

Advertisment

Also read: What is ‘son in trouble’ WhatsApp scam? Here’s what you need to know

How the scam works?

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.  

Advertisment

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

Also read: WhatsApp says nearly 100 journalists and civil society members targeted by Israeli spyware company Paragon

(With inputs from agencies)