The victim, who lost $7,000, now refuses to use WhatsApp Web following the incident.
SINGAPORE – Mr. Louis, a 38-year-old sales specialist, fell victim to a scam after his friend’s WhatsApp account was hacked by a fraudster, leading him to transfer $7,000 in two separate transactions.
On November 6, 2024, Mr. Louis received a WhatsApp message from his close friend Amer Shazally Rosni, asking for a $3,500 loan. Thinking it was legitimate, Mr. Louis transferred the money via PayNow. However, the scammer continued to ask for more money, leading Mr. Louis to transfer an additional $3,500. Alarm bells went off only after the scammer requested even more funds.
When Mr. Louis called his friend Amer, he discovered that Amer had not sent the messages and that his WhatsApp account had been compromised. The scammer had sent similar messages to seven people in Amer’s contact list, asking for money, while archiving the conversations to keep them hidden.
The scammer had accessed Amer’s account through WhatsApp Web, which Amer had logged into earlier that morning. He later logged out of all devices but was already too late. Both Mr. Louis and Mr. Amer have filed police reports, and investigations are underway.
Amer, who works in the automotive industry, said the incident was a wake-up call for him. He expressed his reluctance to use WhatsApp Web again, a sentiment echoed by many who have fallen victim to similar scams. Recently, there have been multiple reports of WhatsApp accounts being hacked to scam money from contacts, prompting warnings from the police.
This scam follows a recent trend of fraudulent activities targeting WhatsApp users. In a separate incident, actress Aileen Tan also warned her followers after a scammer used her husband’s WhatsApp account to ask for money. Edwin Ker, another local victim, also shared his experience of having his WhatsApp compromised, cautioning others to be wary.
