- A man from Potsdam was cheated out of thousands of euros on WhatsApp
A man from Potsdam has been defrauded out of several thousand euros by scammers on the WhatsApp messaging service. The man received a message last week from an unknown number, as reported by the police. Apparently, his supposed son informed him that his phone was broken and that this number should now be used.
Moreover, the alleged son asked the 68-year-old to transfer money to several accounts - as he could no longer do this himself due to the broken phone. The man transferred a low five-digit amount. It was only when his real son called that the fraud was discovered. On Monday, he went to the police. Despite this scam being known for some time, unsuspecting people, often elderly, continued to fall for it, it was reported.
The police advised, among other things, to inform oneself and family members about common scams. It was also recommended to regularly check privacy settings on messaging services. If strangers could see one's profile picture or status post, it would make it easier for scammers to make a "suitable" contact. Money should not be transferred to unknown accounts.
After learning about the fraud, the man's real son urged him to report the incident to the police. Despite the warning, the man should have been more cautious when receiving requests for money on his WhatsApp, as scammers often exploit the privacy settings to target unsuspecting users.
