Hong Kong police have reported 150 instances of WhatsApp account hijacking over the last fortnight, resulting in total losses surpassing HK$26 million (US$3.31 million). One particularly severe incident involved a victim losing HK$10 million to fraudsters impersonating his father.
In a social media update released Wednesday, the Cyberdefender platform warned the public not to “blindly” trust voice messages, noting that criminals are increasingly utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic the voices of family members and friends after gaining unauthorized access to their accounts.
“In WhatsApp account hijackings, scammers may use AI to fake the voices of people close to you,” the department cautioned.
WhatsApp hijacking occurs when scammers impersonate acquaintances or utilize fraudulent websites to harvest phone numbers and app registration codes.
After successfully breaching an account, these criminals contact the victim’s contacts to solicit urgent funds or steal sensitive personal information.
Cyberdefender, managed by the force’s cybersecurity and technology crime bureau, highlighted a recent case where a man received a WhatsApp message from his father’s account, unaware that the account had already been compromised.
In this instance, scammers sent a voice message to the victim, claiming an urgent need to transfer HK$1 million to a friend.
