WhatsApp And Telegram Are The Most Frequently Used Social Media Platforms By Phishing Scammers

WhatsApp and Telegram are the most frequently used social media platforms by phishing scammers

Phishing has grown in popularity as a tool for scammers. So prevalent that Google detected 2.1 million phishing sites in 2020, a staggering 25 percent increase from the approximately 1.5 million detected in 2019. This is the highest rate of increase in phishing sites ever recorded.

With the Covid-19 requiring people to continue working remotely, it's unsurprising that experts anticipate an increase in 2021. Indeed, 64% of businesses anticipate phishing attacks via email. While they are correct to anticipate and protect against email-based attacks, they would also be wise to consider social media-based attacks.

According to Kaspersky Internet Security's cybersecurity report, attacks are coming from social media platforms, with WhatsApp and Telegram serving as the primary social vectors. According to the cybersecurity firm, WhatsApp is the most compromised social platform, accounting for approximately 85 percent of malicious links sent between December 2020 and May 2021.

Telegram comes in a distant second place, accounting for 5.7 percent of social phishing attacks. Viber is third with 4.9 percent of attacks, followed by Google Hangouts with 1%.

According to the internet security company, the most malicious links were detected in WhatsApp, which is partly due to its popularity as the world's most popular messenger. Additionally, the instant messenger provides one of the simplest methods for sending messages to a large number of people at once, ensuring rapid spread of malicious messages.

According to research, messenger apps will outperform social networks by 20% in 2020, becoming the most popular mode of communication. Additionally, survey results indicate that the global audience for messengers was 2.7 billion people in 2020, and is expected to grow to 3.1 billion by 2023. That is nearly 40% of the world's population.

How to Reduce Exposure to Scammers

To minimize your exposure to scams and malicious links sent via messenger, follow these simple tips:

• Be vigilant for misspellings or other inconsistencies in links.
• A 'chain scheme' is a common scam technique in which a scammer asks a user to share a malicious link with his contacts, which appears legitimate to other users because it originates from a known individual. Keep an eye out for suspicious links and avoid sharing them with your contacts.
• Scammers frequently use WhatsApp and other messengers to communicate with users discovered on legitimate resources (for example, various marketplaces and accommodation booking services), as well as to communicate with victims via malicious messages. Even if messages and websites appear to be genuine, the hyperlinks will almost certainly contain incorrect spelling or will redirect you to a different location.
• Even if a message or letter appears to have come from one of your closest friends, keep in mind that their accounts may have been hacked as well. Always exercise caution in any situation. Even if a message appears to be friendly, links and attachments should be avoided.
• Implement a reputable security solution and adhere to its recommendations. Security solutions will automatically resolve the majority of issues and will alert you if necessary.