A new WhatsApp scam is fooling many Singaporean users.
WhatsApp messenger logo is pictured on a phone screen in Moscow on August 26, 2021. - Russia has fined Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp for failing to store the data of Russian users on local servers, the country's internet watchdog said on August 26, as authorities clamp down on foreign internet companies.
This new malicious campaign was confirmed by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE). As people spend more time online, scammers and other cybercriminals are improving their methods in order to victimize users.
Now, CASE said that WhatsApp scammers discovered a new way to fool users. The agency said that they are using fake shopping surveys.
Aside from this, CASE also confirmed that the new scam campaign impersonates their officers.
New WhatsApp Shopping Survey Scam
According to The Strait Times' latest report, CASE Executive Director Lee Siow Hwee's team has already received three reports about the new WhatsApp scam.
In this photo illustration taken on November 6, 2020, a user updates Facebook's WhatsApp application on his mobile phone in Mumbai. - WhatsApp, on November 6, entered an increasingly tense battle between multi-national giants such as Google and Alibaba for a chunk of India's fast-growing digital payments market.
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The agency said victims are invited to participate in a fake shopping survey, which scammers claimed is used to improve the shopping experiences of consumers.
The fake shopping surveys require victims to answer questions related to their profile and shopping preferences.
WhatsApp scammers behind the campaign promise that participants will receive $13 once they complete the surveys.
Since the new WhatsApp shopping survey scam is quite serious, CASE provided the things that users can do to avoid becoming victims.
What WhatsApp Users Can Do
Lee said that CASE doesn't conduct surveys via text messages. She added that they only ask residents to complete their surveys in person.
Aside from this, the CASE executive director also clarified that their interviewers are required to produce a letter of authorization.
If you have been receiving WhatsApp messages asking you to complete a shopping survey, the best thing you can do is contact CASE via their official number; 9795-8397.
You can also search for the scam via the Scam Alert SG website. Once you visit this web page, you can read other people's complaints and the things you can do if you are ever scammed.
The WhatsApp shopping survey scam is just among the new malicious campaigns appearing.
Recently, the LockBit Gang reportedly targeted Mac devices using new ransomware.
We also reported about a Bitcoin bandit who stole over 50,000 BTCs.
For more news updates about scams and other security threats, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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