Most typical WhatsApp scams aren’t high-tech security breaches. They aren’t orchestrated by state-sponsored hacker groups with a bottomless wallet and military-grade technology. In fact, most of them are run by low-tech crime syndicates relying on social engineering techniques to take advantage of people’s blind spots and trust in others.

Source: lifehacker.com

Meta removed 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts associated with cybercrime and digital scams just in the second half of 2025. But the attacks show no sign of slowing down because they are low on cost and easy to spin up, with chatbots executing most of the legwork on autopilot.

Source: lifehacker.com

However, there’s a flip side to all this: social engineering only works when you don’t know what to look for. Most of these scams follow a specific playbook and have a similar pattern of execution. If you know what to watch out for, you can stop them before they compromise your data or lead you into a financial trap.

The Verification Code Hijack

I’d rate this as the most dangerous WhatsApp scam in this list, because it locks you out of your entire account and puts it in the hands of the attacker. It’s also one of the simplest to execute.

Here’s how it works: A scammer enters your phone number on WhatsApp to log into your account using their device. This triggers WhatsApp to send a verification code to your registered phone number. Right on cue, someone pretending to be a friend or family member texts you with a request to share the verification code you just received under some false premise.

If you hand over that verification code you received in response, that’s it: WhatsApp will log you out of your current device and transfer access of your account to the attacker, who can then do whatever they want with it, including changing all your credentials.

Avoiding this attack is also equally simple. Just don’t share your WhatsApp verification code to anyone over a call or text, even if it seems like someone from your contact list. If you receive a message from WhatsApp with a new verification code, take it as a sign that someone’s attempting to hijack your account and don’t just assume it’s a glitch.

Also make it a point to enable 2-step verification on your WhatsApp account as a standard practice, by navigating to Settings > Account > Two-step verification in the Android or iOS app. That way, an attacker with a stolen verification code won’t be able to get into your account right away, because they will also need to verify the request using your preferred authentication method.

Faking an Emergency

Once an attacker has access to someone’s WhatsApp account, often by doing just as I discussed in the last example, they will fire off a string of messages using that compromised account to everyone in the victim’s contact list. They will pretend to be the victim in some kind of medical or financial emergency, then ask people to send them money as quickly as possible.

Citing an emergency creates panic within people, which makes them less likely to verify the authenticity of the request. By the time the original victim gets around to sharing that their account has been hijacked, multiple people have already been scammed using that stolen account. Scammers will sometimes even use AI-generated voice messages to make the request seem legitimate, provided they already know what the real account holder sounds like.

I always tell my friends and acquaintances never to transfer funds or honor a sensitive request sent over text without double-checking if it’s real. When you get a request like this on WhatsApp, simply call that person directly over the phone, using a known contact number that’s not been recently changed. If the requester claims that the number has changed or the phone is out of battery, that’s a red flag. If you’re worried that the request might be authentic, call someone else who lives near that person or go over physically to verify.

Long-term Digital Romance Scams

WhatsApp is a popular choice for online dating scams thanks to its popularity as a messaging service, but these scams rarely give themselves away at first. Instead, attackers spend months building rapport with a potential victim over long chains of text and audio messages.

When they’re confident about the level of trust they have established, the asks begin. First, they ask for small transfers that don’t go over $100, citing something urgent but non-critical. Slowly, the requests grow in financial value until the victim realizes something’s up and calls it off. Family emergencies, personal cash flow issues, and even investment offers in cryptocurrency or private funds are often used to pressure victims into giving away money.

If someone you’ve never met in physical space asks you for cash, that’s an immediate giveaway that something is wrong. Normal people rarely ask someone for money unless they know them well in person, so use caution whenever you spot a request like that.

Premium App Subscription Invites

This is a very common play that’s especially popular when targeting demographics with low digital literacy. You receive a private message from what looks like an official WhatsApp account claiming that you’ve been invited to try out a new subscription tier that isn’t available to the general public. Often, the message is accompanied by a link to download and install an app from an unknown source.

As soon as you click on the link, it installs malware on your device that could range from ransomware to keyloggers, which can then be used to execute blackmails or cyberattacks.

If you receive a message inviting you to WhatsApp Gold, WhatsApp Premium, or any other equivalent subscription tier that cannot be verified through official sources, do not click on the link. Also generally avoid installing apps that don’t come from official sources like Google Play or App Store, unless you explicitly trust the developer sending you the link. Apps installed from third-party links are not subject to the usual security audit that official marketplaces require them to clear, which increases the risk of being infected by malware.

Most smartphones disable third-party app installation by default for this exact reason. If you want to be even safer, navigate to Settings > Privacy > Advanced inside WhatsApp and toggle on Disable link previews. While link previews in WhatsApp are generally safe, they can expose your device’s metadata and general geolocation to the website administrator for a small period, which can be used to escalate more sophisticated cyber attacks.

Impersonating Popular Service Providers

A common pattern among WhatsApp scams is the use of official names and logos to impersonate service providers and trusted authorities, like banks, delivery services, tech support, and sometimes even local law enforcement. Since people are more likely to trust messages that come from these providers without further verification, it gives attackers the window they need to make otherwise unreasonable requests.

If someone claims to be a bank employee who needs you to share a one-time password for a security check, offer to call them back using a known official number instead of continuing the conversation in the same (potentially compromised) channel. Same goes for anyone who identifies as a local law enforcement or tax department official. They could threaten you with non-compliance if you refuse, but remember that you can always call the agency and verify it with them officially, instead of acting on a random call. Sometimes, scammers even pretend to be tech support and ask for remote access to your device so they can troubleshoot an issue. IT staff knows not to do this outside of established channels, so you should too.

By being aware of these common scams and taking simple precautions, you can significantly reduce your chances of falling victim to a WhatsApp scam. Always stay vigilant and never let your guard down, especially when it comes to sensitive information and financial transactions.