QR-Code-Trick: WhatsApp: Wie Betrüger Konten kapern - und 500 Euro abzocken

A new WhatsApp scam is making the rounds, in which thieves take over accounts and then ask the account's contacts for money, warns the Zwickau Police Directorate. Since mid-August, twelve fraud cases following this scheme have been known to the police in their jurisdiction. The thieves stole between 500 and 615 euros each time. There is no vote involved, but rather the takeover of someone's account.

The scam works as follows: a message is received, requesting participation in a poll or survey for a sports figure or help with a vote. To participate, a link must be clicked and a QR code scanned. However, the thieves are actually linking one of their devices to the victim's account. They take advantage of a regular WhatsApp feature that allows this kind of linking. But regular QR code linking is only intended for use when initiated by the user themselves.

Once the thieves have access to the victim's account through the linked device, they can send messages on behalf of the victim to their contacts. These messages come from various angles and plead for money, appearing particularly credible to the recipients. When money is involved, the police strongly advise verifying any unexpected requests for money through a different communication channel, even with family, friends, or acquaintances.

If someone's WhatsApp account has been taken over, they should warn all contacts as quickly as possible through another communication method so the thieves have no chance of using this scam. Anyone who has become a victim of account takeover or payment fraud should take the following steps: save the messages and phone numbers of the thieves, as well as payment data and evidence, then report the incident to the police.

The police advise four precautions: do not scan unknown QR codes or click links without knowing their source and purpose; do not confirm the linking of an unknown device to your own WhatsApp account; never share verification or security codes; and regularly check the linked devices in the settings menu of WhatsApp and remove any unknown links.