2023-07-23 23:13:31
If you have received a message from an unknown person, it is very important to follow some precautionary measures, such as not responding to it, or reporting and blocking the contact. But what exactly are the risks?
extortion
By itself, a message from an unknown person may not seem very threatening. And yet, the risks should not be overlooked.
Indeed, the stranger can take advantage of the discussion to obtain personal information about you, such as the name of one of your relatives or your address. You can indeed be led to reveal them without thinking about the detour of the conversation, as long as you sympathize.
The person can then use this private information to blackmail you in one way or another. For example, by threatening to publicly reveal some of your information, or even by raising the specter of physical reprisals against you or someone close to you.
Piracy
By several methods, which most often go through a link, the stranger can take possession of one of your accounts, whether on WhatsApp or on another application.
He can then use it not only to harm you, but also to take possession of your contact list and thus hack them in turn, perpetuating an endless cycle.
Le phishing
If you receive a link from the unknown person and you click on it, it is very possible to end up on a fake web page on which you would be tempted to give your personal information.
There are many types of phishing, some more dangerous than others. If some scam attempts are content to acquire information that is not very dangerous and that could interest unscrupulous advertisers, most of the attempts relate to your bank details or one of your private passwords. So it can cost you dearly.
In the case of a whatsapp conversation, it’s a little obvious, so hackers don’t hesitate to hide all this, for example by requiring you to connect with your Facebook account to access a web page.
A virus
In the same way as for phishing, a link sent by your mysterious contact may contain a virus that will be downloaded without your knowledge. This can be done directly by clicking on the link or, more commonly, via an operation that you will be tempted to do once you arrive on the fake site to which said link led.
The golden rules to follow
In the event that a stranger contacts you, you should be careful. If you notice in an obvious way that it is a scam, avoid answering and block the stranger. If not, do not hesitate to ask the reason for the exchange and the identity of the individual. But be careful to follow a few basic rules:
never click on a link sent to you without being sure of the identity of the person do not blindly believe a new contact who claims to be a relative of yours who has changed their number do not reveal personal information to an unknown contact avoid engaging in too much conversation with a suspicious individual
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