WhatsApp users in India on Saturday witnessed a new wave of scam where cyber-criminals started calling people on the platform from fake US numbers, pretending to be their senior office executives and colleagues, thus trying to give their modus operandi a new level of authenticity.
People working for a leading media company in the Capital, and even those who have quit the organisation, received numerous such fake international calls -- this time from US-based fake phone numbers -- from top executives, asking them to start conversation.
“Please get back to me as soon as you get my text, thanks,” read such messages, when names of the top executives.
This time, the international WhatsApp fake calls started with +1 (404) which is the calling code of Atlanta, Georgia, +1 (773) which is the code of Chicago, Illinois, and more.
In May this year, millions of WhatsApp users in India were left baffled at the amount of international spam calls they received, leaving many at the risk of financial and personal loss.
These spam calls with international numbers, mostly from African and Southeast Asian countries, along with fake messages from unknown users, flooded WhatsApp and Indians had nowhere to go.
Meta-owned WhatsApp has close to 500 million users in India.
Although the mobile numbers showed country codes of Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Ethiopia, it is not necessary that these calls are actually coming from these countries.
Most of these calls started with +251 (Ethiopia), +62 (Indonesia), +254 (Kenya), +84 (Vietnam) and other countries.
Another scam that is still being reported in India is that of receiving job offers via WhatsApp messages.
‘Pahalgam incident deeply disturbing & tragic’: Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday termed the Pahalgam terror attack as disturbing & tragic and also condoled the victims and their families.
Guterres calls EAM Jaishankar, Pak PM Sharif; stresses pursuing justice in Pahalgam terror attack
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of pursuing justice in the Pahalgam terrorist attack while speaking with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shebaz Sharif, his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.
Myanmar's earthquake death toll rises to 3,770
The death toll from a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen to 3,770 as of April 28, the state-owned daily The Mirror reported on Tuesday.
IndusInd Bank CEO Kathpalia quits due to derivatives accounting lapse
IndusInd Bank announced on Tuesday that its Managing Director and CEO Sumant Kathpalia has resigned from his post in connections with the derivatives accounting lapse that has eroded the private sector bank's net worth.
Air pollution exposure raises brain stroke risk in older adults: Study
The study showed that elderly males are disproportionately affected by ischemic stroke related to air pollution. Ischemic stroke is a condition resulting from reduced blood supply to specific areas of the brain due to blocked blood vessels. The primary contributor to this burden is PM2.5 from air pollution.
Russia-Ukraine war: Putin announces three-day ceasefire in May to mark Victory Day celebrations
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced a 72-hour ceasefire in its ongoing 'Special Military Operation' in Ukraine on account of the Victory Day celebrations, next month.
US religious freedom body finds conditions for Pakistan minorities 'worsening', urges strong action
Finding "a worsening religious and political climate of fear, intolerance, and violence" for minorities in Pakistan, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has asked President Donald Trump's administration to take strong measures against the Islamic Republic.
India, Pakistan will 'get it figured out,' says Trump on border tensions
US President Donald Trump refused to be drawn into India-Pakistan border tensions in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, stating that the two countries will "get it figured out one way or the other."