Security agencies in Ghana have arrested two WhatsApp fraudsters for stealing over GH₵200,000 in a WhatsApp hack crime.
The suspects, Abdul Latif Abubakar, 22; and Mahammudu Araafat Yasir, 24; were arrested at their hideout in Langbensi and Gambaga in the North East Region through an intelligence led operations by state security agencies.
This was after painstaking investigations triggered by a report by a Ghanaian based in the US over a WhatsApp hack, technically known as WhatsApp Account Takeover.
Following the actions of the criminals, many of the victim’s contacts were reached by the suspects to solicit funds, citing one reason or another.
The Ghana Report sources within law enforcement revealed that some two mobile money (momo) accounts checked revealed proceeds of the suspected crime in excess of two hundred thousand Ghana Cedis.
It is believed that other momo and bank accounts may hold even more through the cunning tactics used by the criminals.
The two suspects are currently in custody, assisting security and Intelligence agencies with investigations.
What is WhatsApp Account Takeover
WhatsApp account takeover is when malicious actors gain unapproved access to an account on WhatsApp.
All a hacker needs to take over an account is a phone number and a 6-digit verification code activated through registering or re-registration of an account.
When a user is creating an account for the first time or re-registering an existing account, WhatsApp sends a 6-digit verification code to the user via SMS or phone call. The user is prompted to enter the code to verify their phone number and activate their WhatsApp account.
As such, hackers employ various scams with the sole purpose of obtaining this 6-digit verification code to successfully hack an account.
There are numerous methods through which hackers can gain access to the accounts of unsuspecting WhatsApp users – these methods become more sophisticated over time.
Some of them are through compromised WhatsApp groups, Impersonating a friend or relative, by posing as a WhatsApp support staff, phishing attempts or the deployment of spyware.
Efforts by Ghana authorities to tackle the crime
It would be recalled that in October 2023, the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) issued a warning to the public regarding a surge in account takeovers on WhatsApp.
According to the CSA, numerous incidents of WhatsApp Account Takeover had been reported since April 2023, indicating a growing trend of people falling victim to social engineering tactics and unknowingly giving away their WhatsApp verification codes to malicious actors- resulting in unauthorised access and account takeover.
That was not the first time the CSA had issued such an alert, as a similar warning was released in December 2022.
More often than not, these malicious actors use the stolen or hacked accounts to solicit money from contacts, commit fraud, send offensive messages/ images, spread mis/disinformation, or even use stolen accounts as bait to hack other accounts in the contact list of victims.
The Ghana Police Service has also stepped up efforts in recent times to tackle cyber security related crimes in the country.
