WhatsApp accounts taken over in South Africa

• WhatsApp accounts have been taken over in South Africa by cybercriminals who impersonate their owners to scam friends, family, and colleagues.
• The scams typically begin with cybercriminals hijacking WhatsApp accounts through methods such as phishing, social engineering, exploiting leaked credentials, and SIM swap attacks, often using generative AI tools to automate these techniques.
• International security platforms and cybersecurity firms have warned that these types of attacks have become a major fraud trend in 2026, with WhatsApp becoming a playground for hackers and scammers, and users being advised to be cautious of social engineering tactics.