What is WhatsApp OTP Scam? Here's How You Can Prevent It

WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app is used by almost everybody in this hectic world. Due to a lot of users and followed by the launch of WhatsApp Payments, WhatsApp has now become prone to scams & privacy issues. There is a new cycle of scam that has been going on WhatsApp now and hackers are using it to target you. A lot of important & personal information can be obtained from the messaging app and that's why hackers have chosen WhatsApp to scam people. WhatsApp Disappearing Messages Feature Now Available for India Users.

The scam is being named as 'WhatsApp OTP Scam' where hackers hack into your WhatsApp account using an OTP. In this scam, you will receive a message on your WhatsApp from your friend's number claiming to be in some kind of emergency. The hacker will tell you a story that he has mistakenly inserted your number & will ask to send the OTP that you would have received on your mobile number. If you send the OTP to the hacker, you will be locked out from your WhatsApp account & the hacker will have all the access to it. The hacker then uses your number to trap your friends & relatives using the same trick which he applied on you.

Whenever you receive a message from a friend or a stranger, that asks for an OTP received on your mobile which is not generated by you, do not continue the conversation & do not share the OTP. So to keep yourself safe from this scam, simply follow these steps.

1. Open WhatsApp, tap on the three dotted-icon situated at the top right corner.

2. Tap on 'Settings' & select 'Account'

3. Hit on 'Two-step Verification' & you will get an option to enable it.

4. Click on 'Enable' & you will be asked to enter a six-digit pin twice followed by an email id.

5. Enter your desired pin, email id and after the successful verification of your email, your two-step authentication will be activated on your WhatsApp account.

6. To disable 2FA or change the pin, simply follow the same steps.

After successful enabling of 2FA on your WhatsApp, the messaging app will always ask for your six-digit pin whenever you open your WhatsApp app. Even if the hacker gets an OTP from you, then he will not be able to access your WhatsApp account because he wouldn't have the six-digit pin generated by you.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 26, 2020 04:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).