Pay attention to the applications you download to your mobile. A new scam is currently claiming victims around the world and France is not spared. Its name, WhatsApp Pink, like the instant messenger well known to our readers and that you probably have on your smartphone. The principle of this scam is very simple: hackers offer you to download another version of the application, which would offer you extended functionalities. In reality, WhatsApp Pink is there to steal your data.
This scam is not new, since it has been circulating regularly since 2021, but it is picking up momentum this year, with the ever-increasing popularity of WhatsApp. You receive an SMS with a link to the famous Pink application: wishing to have more features, you click on what was sent to you… And it’s already too late. Malware immediately installs on your phone, giving crooks access to all of your personal information, even your private conversations, says Presse-Citron.
Drawing from your directory, they then share the link with all of your contacts, thus making new victims, who will in turn do so, without knowing it. This scam particularly targets Android smartphone users, because on iPhone, it is more complicated to download an application that is not in the Apple Store. To avoid taking any risks with your phone and your personal data, we recommend that you never download an application outside the Play Store (Android) or the Apple Store. Even less when it comes to an application that was sent to you by message.
