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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Rachel Pugh & James Rodger

Urgent privacy warning issued to anyone with WhatsApp on their phone

Everyone with a WhatsApp account has been issued an urgent privacy warning.

2 billion people in the world currently have WhatsApp downloaded onto their phones, and each and every one of them is at risk.

People have been falling victim to a new sim-swapping scam, which sees scammers clone a phone number by assigning it to a new SIM card.

READ MORE: Couple fined £70 for entering ASDA supermarket and petrol station on the same day

Worryingly, if you use WhatsApp, they could be able to siphon your passwords and you could lose control of your account.

The scam is on the rise, with a staggering 120 per cent increase year on year.

"All a criminal needs is our phone number to set the process of identity theft and extortion in motion," expert Dmitry Bestuzhev told El Pais.

"Many people share very sensitive information, and in a very short space of time the victim has lost control of their accounts."

"Even family members of security professionals have fallen victim to this crime," Bestuzhev warned.

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