As a result of the scam, criminals can take over the user's WhatsApp or Telegram account and access and modify all the user's correspondence. Several victims of this scam have already been found in Latvia, and the Ukrainian cyber-security agency CERT-UA has already reported on similar incidents.
According to CERT.lv, the scam happens when a WhatsApp user apparently receives a message from an acquaintance or close person (whose account has been previously compromised) with a link inviting them to vote for a drawing of a child/grandchild/godchild as part of a contest. Following subsequent instructions eventually leads to the attacker being able to transfer the user's WhatsApp account to another device/number.
"We invite you to be careful and, upon receiving such messages, ignore them! It is also desirable to inform the contact on whose behalf the message arrived about the incident using other communication channels," advised CERT.lv. It also provided samples of the fraudulent messages (below).
