A new OTP scam is rampant on WhatsApp as hackers and fraudsters target the popular instant messaging platform. With millions around the world using the application to chat and share media (such as photos), hackers are using the One-Time-Password (OTP) to gain access to people’s accounts. 

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According to a report by Mumbai Mirror, in the WhatsApp OTP scam, the hacker or scammer claims to be your friend and sends you a message, usually with an emergency stated in it to get your attention.

After this, the scammer will ask you for an OTP. Once you send in the OTP, the hacker will be able to validate your account through OTP on his/her phone and you’ll be logged out of your WhatsApp account from your phone. He/she will then be able to access all your sensitive data including conversations, contacts, groups, and media files.

To prevent this from happening, apart from not sharing an OTP with anyone else, one can enable Two-Factor authentication on their WhatsApp account, which requires a PIN to register a phone number with the WhatsApp account. 

This feature is available in ‘Settings’ and adds an extra layer of security to your account, preventing anyone but you from signing in.