Trending post: Harsha Bhogle warns about “WhatsApp hijacking scam”

In a now viral X post, Harsha Bhogle shared a video to help people stay safe from cyber frauds.

Harsha Bhogle, an Indian cricket commentator and journalist, raised an alarm about the growing cyber fraud called the “WhatsApp hijacking scam.” He shared a post on X saying, “WARNING: SCAM ALERT!” He urged people to stay vigilant and protect their WhatsApp accounts.

Harsha Bhogle recounts an incident of a scam faced by a relative.

Talking about a relative falling victim to a WhatsApp hijacking scam, Harsha Bhogle wrote in his post, “Last month, a relative received a message from a friend asking for a code that had been mistakenly sent to her. Trusting their friendship, she shared the code without suspicion. The next thing she knew, she was logged out of her WhatsApp account. The scammer then started messaging her contacts, pretending to be her, asking for money or codes to hijack their accounts as well.” He shared the situation worsened when his relative was to board a flight and was in a rush. He wrote, “The scammer had changed the group settings where she was an admin and even updated the backup email ID, making it impossible for us to log back in.” He then thanked Meta for restoring his relative’s access to WhatsApp.

Harsha Bhogle shares a video explaining about the scam.

He shared a video by a YouTube channel, Saksham Senior, where the video explains the mechanics of the scam and provides tips to prevent falling victim to it. He wrote, “So, what is this scam, how does it work, and why do we fall for it? Well, the good folks at @sakshamsenior have put together a video explaining it all. Share it with your parents, family, friends, and anyone who could benefit from this.”

Watch the viral post here:

https://x.com/bhogleharsha/status/1902627556932845883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1902627556932845883%7Ctwgr%5E93f5e82ab8057e90ad89914cd381bc76f422abd5%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Findianexpress.com%2Farticle%2Ftrending%2Ftrending-in-india%2Fharsha-bhogle-warns-about-whatsapp-hijacking-scam-in-viral-x-post-9896459%2F

Netizens react to the viral post.

One user wrote, “The key is to stay cautious and learn to say no when it comes to sharing passwords and verification codes.” Another wrote, “This is so important… scams like this are becoming way too common. Thanks for sharing, Harsha.” A third user commented, “The tactics used in this scam—requesting a verification code and then using the compromised account to target contacts—are quite common. This is a great reminder to be extra cautious about sharing any codes received via SMS.”