Stay alert against messaging apps scams

Bailey Troutman, CCIT Communications
January 2, 2024

Messaging apps, like WhatsApp, are being used by cybercriminals to target potential victims in cryptocurrency scams. Unlike other scams, this one begins as a friendly relationship, where the cybercriminal will attempt to develop a sort of friendship for a few weeks. It can even be posing as an accidental wrong number contacting you. According to a recent article on CNN, after weeks of back and forth friendly updates, the cybercriminals will send links to download an app that appears as legitimate cryptocurrency account software. Victims who have fallen for these scams have lost enormous amounts of money. 

The Clemson University campus community is encouraged to practice due diligence and not engage with messages from unknown or unexpected contacts. Additionally, users should avoid clicking on links in messages from unknown sources. To learn more about what kinds of scams are happening, visit CCIT’s Cybersecurity Alerts page.