New Kashmir Files WhatsApp scam is leading to hacked bank accounts

WhatsApp users are easy targets for malicious actors. Cybercriminals are using the name of a popular movie to bluff WhatsApp users. A new scam has been detected where users are being forwarded fake links claiming to offer the popular Kashmir Files movie for free. Clicking on this link just makes your phone vulnerable to malware and further attacks.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida), Ranvijay Singh has come forward to explain how this new WhatsApp scam is dangerous. Singh claimed that by clicking on the fake link, users won’t get the Kashmir Files movie, instead, cybercriminals will be able to hack smartphones and also empty bank accounts that are linked to the phone number.

Singh told PTI, “There has been no specific case here yet in which the movie’s name has been used but there are inputs regarding such methodology being used by conmen for hacking into people’s phone or duping them of money.”

He claimed that some people have lost their savings after clicking on a few links that were sent to them on WhatsApp. These links were wearing the garb of free movie streaming of Kashmir Files.

He further said, “Most recently, three people approached the police within a period of a 24 hours from just one police station with similar complaints of cyber fraud, in which they ended up losing a combined ₹30 lakh.”

How to stay safe from the scam?

According to police personnel, WhatsApp users should refrain from clicking on links that are shared on the app or social media. If the link is shared by an unknown person, it could be an even bigger threat.

Even if such a link is shared by a known person, the user should first contact that person to verify if the link is legitimate.

Kashmir Files is a movie based on the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in the early 1990s. The movie has garnered praise from the likes of PM Narendra Modi, among other prominent leaders.

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