WhatsApp Hijack Scams Surge as Meta Adds Safeguards
HK01 · 5 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong police say WhatsApp account hijacking has become the dominant form of instant-messaging account takeover, making up 99 percent of such cases in the first seven months of the year, with 1,993 reports and about HK$140 million in losses. Most cases begin with phishing messages, fake WhatsApp websites or search-engine poisoning, after which scammers seize accounts and exploit victims' trusted personal or business contacts. Meta says it has upgraded existing protections, added Android context cards for first-time unknown callers and senders, and strengthened login defenses through alphanumeric two-step verification and passkeys. Police also disclosed fresh enforcement action, including the seizure of a fake base-station device in Tseung Kwan O that had sent more than 6,000 phishing messages.
Key Points
- Police recorded 2,020 instant-messaging account hijacking cases from January to July, up 154 percent year on year; 1,993 involved WhatsApp.
- Losses in WhatsApp hijacking cases totaled about HK$140 million, with the largest single case costing an investment company manager HK$12.2 million.
- Superintendent Rachel Hui Yee-wai said 886 cases targeted family and 705 targeted friends, meaning 80 percent exploited trusted relationships.
- Scammers use phishing SMS, fake security warnings, QR-code device linking and search-engine poisoning to steal verification codes or pair accounts.
- Meta's new and upgraded tools include Android context cards, suspicious-link blocking, device-link alerts, alphanumeric two-step verification and passkeys.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong users, the main danger is not only losing a messaging account but giving criminals a credible route into family, workplace and payment networks. The cases show why checking linked devices, verifying transfer requests through another channel and treating urgent messages from known contacts with caution now matter as much as app-level security tools.
For Hong Kong users, the main danger is not only losing a messaging account but giving criminals a credible route into family, workplace and payment networks. The cases show why checking linked devices, verifying transfer requests through another channel and treating urgent messages from known contacts with caution now matter as much as app-level security tools.