Scammers trick Whatsapp users by offering 1000GB free data on the app's 10th anniversary

• The victims are asked to share the message with at least 30 more people in order to claim the reward.
• The ultimate goal of the scammers is to perform click fraud through this type of scam.

A new WhatsApp scam that claims to offer free internet data has been doing rounds on the internet recently. The users are tricked into believing that they are being offered 1000GB of free data as a gift on WhatsApp’s 10th anniversary.

What’s the matter?

Discovered by researchers from ESET, the fraudulent campaign involves the scammers surprising the users with a free giveaway offer as WhatsApp celebrates its anniversary. The offer is made to the users for being loyal members of the service. However, the message is neither from WhatsApp nor the offer is genuine.

Luring with an offer they can't refuse

The campaign starts with users receiving a fraudulent promotion message that reads, "WhatsApp Offers 1000GB Free Internet!" The message also includes a link, which if clicked, redirects users to a page that asks them a series of questions in the form of a survey.

Furthermore, to spread the campaign, the victims are asked to share the message with at least 30 more people in order to claim the reward. The researchers, call this ‘merely a way to boost the campaign’s reach’.

Purpose of the scam

The ultimate goal of the scammers is to perform click fraud through this type of scam. This will, in turn, help them make big profits by racking up bogus ad clicks.

Telltale signs to detect

The poorly composed message is one of the strongest telltale signs of the scam. Users should also check the authenticity of the offer and message before sharing the message.

Worth noting

The ESET researchers said that there is no evidence that malicious link was used to install malware that can scrape personal information. In fact, it has been found that the domain used in this scam is also home to many other ‘promotional’ scams that pretend to be from branded companies such as Nestle, Adidas, and Rolex.