A new fraudulent scheme is spreading in the WhatsApp messenger. Users receive a message about the alleged lack of only a few signatures to award the title of Hero of Ukraine to an unnamed relative of the sender. At the end, a link to a fake page of “Electronic petitions” is added with a request to sign the corresponding petition.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense  Council writes that in fact, the link with the petition requires an additional WhatsApp login. If a person logs in again, the fraudsters get access to his personal WhatsApp profile.

The purpose of this scheme is to gain access to user profiles in order to then use them in their own interests. Therefore, if you receive such a message, the Center urges you to block the number from which it was sent, and in no case to follow unknown links. If you have become a victim of fraudsters, contact the cyber police or other competent authorities.