Rakuten Viber has tracked down a new fraudulent scheme: attackers pretend to be another well-known service to gain access to a user’s account. The team reminds you how not to fall for it.
In 2023-2024, Rakuten Viber blocked about 40 thousand fraudsters and spammers in the app. Thanks to the team’s constant monitoring and user complaints, the number of attackers is decreasing. At the same time, fraudsters are finding new methods to take over profiles. Rakuten Viber warns about a fraudulent scheme that has been spreading in recent months.
How fraudsters work
According to this scheme, criminals send messages or make phone calls posing as another well-known service or company. It may be a message or call allegedly from a bank, mobile operator, online classifieds service, etc. The message or phone call from the fraudsters is followed by a message: “enter the code from the SMS”, allegedly to confirm your registration with the service, verify your account, switch to a new mobile operator’s tariff plan, etc.
At this point, the fraudsters attempt to activate the Viber account on another device, and this is what the code is for. If the user passes the received code to another person, the fraudster can gain access to the Viber account.
In the fall of 2024, activation messages were often disguised as messages from the OLX service. Users who had recently posted an ad on the platform were sent an offer to send a photo of the product to Viber or simply continue communication in the messenger in their personal messages. After that, the user would receive a request for a code allegedly from OLX in the messenger or via SMS.
How to prevent fraud
Rakuten Viber reminds you that account activation codes and passwords should never be disclosed to unauthorized persons.
What to do in case of suspicious messages:
- If you receive a message from a user who is not in your contact list and you think it’s a scammer, click “Block and report spam”.
- File a complaint with the support team.
If necessary, set restrictions on messages and calls from unknown contacts in Settings => Privacy => Requests. You can also turn on Automatic spam checking: Settings => Privacy => Automatic spam check. If you want to know if a spammer is calling from an unknown number or if the call is safe, the team recommends using the Caller ID feature (for Android users, go to Settings => Calls & Messages => Caller ID). If the contact is a potential fraudster, it will be indicated during the call.
Rakuten Viber reminds you to never share your personal data, including codes and passwords, with unauthorized persons. This will help protect your data and accounts from intruders.
