reports.

/r/n

The data leak, which was first seen in a popular hackers' forum, is believed to be the largest in WhatsApp's history. The database contains private phone numbers from different countries including Germany, the UK, Egypt, and the United States.</p>\r\n<p>This is a massive concern for millions of users who are now exposed to potential social engineering schemes like phishing, investment scams, and romance scams.</p>\r\n<h2>Whatsapp leaked data up for sale</h2>\r\n<p>More than 32 million of the leaked records are said to be from users in the US, with 11 million from UK users. Other affected nations include Egypt (45 million), Italy (35 million), Saudi Arabia (29 million), France (20 million), Turkey (20 million), and Russia (10 million).&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Interestingly, the hacker who claims to have the data claims to sell the data set depending on the country of origin. The US data set is said to go for $7,000, and the UK numbers up for a similar per-capita figure of $2,500.</p>\r\n<p>This data can easily be purchased by scammers and can be used for all kinds of malicious activities such as <a href=https://www.scamadviser.com/"scam-reports/scam-alerts/4745/what-is-vishing-and-how-to-protect-against-it/">vishing and smishing.&nbsp; Hackers have been distributing these files freely among themselves.</p>\r\n<h2>What WhatsApp said about the leak</h2>\r\n<p>It is unclear how these numbers were obtained, but WhatsApp has come out to deny the data breach. News of the leak started surfacing on the 16th of November 2022 and spread like a bushfire on the dark web.&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>But a WhatsApp spokesperson denied the leak saying there is no evidence of a data leak from WhatsApp. He mentioned that the data leak, first claimed by Cybernews, is based on unsubstantiated screenshots.&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>The spokesperson further claimed that the alleged data is from the 2019 <a href=https://www.scamadviser.com/"https://twitter.com/karol_paciorek/status/1597587713867538432/">Facebook leak</a>.&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p><a href=https://www.scamadviser.com/"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms/">Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp and Facebook, has seen its fair share of data breaches. In the past, Facebook users' personal data was allegedly leaked which included phone numbers and other details. Therefore, it would be wise to be wary of being targeted by scams as the alleged WhatsApp leak supposedly contains names of users in addition to phone numbers. Scammers who know both these things about you can make their scams seem more believable.&nbsp;</p>"}},{"_template":"Articles\\Text","_identifier":"block-100115","data":{"text":"<p><em>Image source: <a href=https://www.scamadviser.com/"https://www.pexels.com/photo/whatsapp-application-screenshot-46924//">Pexels.com

"}}],"sidebarBlocks":[{"_template":"Small//Content//Cta","_identifier":"block-157084","data":{"title":"Report a Scam!","consumer":null,"description":"Have you fallen for a hoax, bought a fake product? Report the site and warn others!","image":"https://files-scamadviser-com-prod.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/thumbs/tell-your-story-8910e.png_200x200.png","button":"Report a Scam!","link":"https://www.scamadviser.com/leave-review"}},{"_template":"Small\\Content\\Taxonomy","_identifier":"block-157123","data":{"title":"Scam Categories","taxonomies":[{"id":7,"name":"Scam Alerts (851)","url":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/scam-alerts"},{"id":6,"name":"Scam Trends (306)","url":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/scam-trends"},{"id":8,"name":"Global Scam Country Guide (44)","url":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/global-scam-country-guide"},{"id":3,"name":"News about Scamadviser (41)","url":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/news-about-scamadviser"},{"id":5,"name":"Reliable Sites (35)","url":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/reliable-sites"},{"id":2,"name":"Research & Reports (26)","url":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/research-reports"},{"id":1,"name":"Tips & Support (24)","url":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/tips-support"},{"id":4,"name":"Advice for Companies (2)","url":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/advice-for-companies"}]}},{"_template":"Default\\Content\\Heading","_identifier":"block-59407","data":{"align":"","text":"Help & Info","size":"large"}},{"_template":"Default\\Content\\Articles","_identifier":"block-157795","data":{"articles":[{"_template":"Home\\Articles","_identifier":"block-157796","data":{"title":"Tips & Support","link":"","icon":"fa-lightbulb-o","renderAsInertiaLink":false}},{"_template":"Home\\Articles","_identifier":"block-157824","data":{"title":"Scam Alerts","link":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/scam-alerts","icon":"fa-exclamation-triangle","renderAsInertiaLink":true}},{"_template":"Home\\Articles","_identifier":"block-157839","data":{"title":"Learn about Scams","link":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/scam-trends","icon":"fa-tags","renderAsInertiaLink":true}},{"_template":"Home\\Articles","_identifier":"block-157854","data":{"title":"Reliable Sites","link":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/reliable-sites","icon":"fa-check-circle","renderAsInertiaLink":true}},{"_template":"Home\\Articles","_identifier":"block-157869","data":{"title":"Advice for Companies","link":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/advice-for-companies","icon":"fa-comment","renderAsInertiaLink":true}},{"_template":"Home\\Articles","_identifier":"block-157884","data":{"title":"Research & Reports","link":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/research-reports","icon":"fa-search","renderAsInertiaLink":true}},{"_template":"Home\\Articles","_identifier":"block-161131","data":{"title":"Global Scam Country Guide","link":"https://www.scamadviser.com/global-scam-country-guide","icon":"fa-globe","renderAsInertiaLink":false}}],"buttonText":"See all","buttonLink":"https://www.scamadviser.com/help-info"}},{"_template":"Default\\Content\\Heading","_identifier":"block-59517","data":{"align":"","text":"Popular Stories","size":"large"}},{"_template":"Default\\Content\\Blogs","_identifier":"block-59530","data":{"items":[{"id":13,"title":"How to Recognize a Scam Website","url":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/how-to-recognize-a-scam-website","excerpt":"As the influence of the internet rises, so does the prevalence of online scams. There are fraudsters making all kinds of claims to trap victims online - from fake investment opportunities to online stores - and the internet allows them to operate from any part of the world with anonymity. The ability to spot online scams is an important skill to have as the virtual world is increasingly becoming a part of every facet of our lives. The below tips will help you identify the signs which can indicate that a website could be a scam.\r\nCommon Sense: Too Good To Be True\r\nWhen looking for goods online, a great deal can be very enticing. A Gucci bag or a new iPhone for half the price? Who wouldn’t want to grab such a deal? Scammers know this too and try to take advantage of the fact.\r\nIf an online deal looks too good to be true, think twice and double-check things. The easiest way to do this is to simply check out the same product at competing websites (that you trust). If the difference in prices is huge, it might be better to double-check the rest of the website.\r\nCheck Out the Social Media Links\r\nSocial media is a core part of ecommerce businesses these days and consumers often expect online shops to have a social media presence. Scammers know this and often insert logos of social media sites on their websites. Scratching beneath the surface often reveals this fu","buttonText":"Read more","renderAsInertiaLink":true},{"id":4,"title":"How Do I Get Money Back From a Scammer?","url":"https://www.scamadviser.com/articles/how-do-i-get-money-back-from-a-scammer","excerpt":"So the worst has come to pass - you realise you parted with your money too fast, and the site you used was a scam - what now? Well first of all, don’t despair!!\r\nIf you think you have been scammed, the first port of call when having an issue is to simply ask for a refund. This is the first and easiest step to determine whether you are dealing with a genuine company or scammers. Sadly, getting your money back from a scammer is not as simple as just asking. \r\nIf you are indeed dealing with scammers, the procedure (and chance) of getting your money back varies depending on the payment method you used.\r\n\r\nPayPal\r\nDebit card/Credit card\r\nBank transfer\r\nWire transfer\r\nGoogle Pay\r\nBitcoin\r\n\r\nPayPal\r\nIf you used PayPal, you have a strong chance of getting your money back if you were scammed. On their website, you can file a dispute within 180 calendar days of your purchase.\r\nConditions to file a dispute:\r\n\r\nThe simplest situation is that you ordered from an online store and it has not arrived. In this case this is what PayPal states: \"If your order never shows up and the seller can't provide proof of shipment or delivery, you'll get a full refund. It's that simple.\"\r\nThe scammer has sent you a completely different item. For example, you ordered a PlayStation 4, but instead received only a Playstation controller. \r\nThe condition of the item was misrepresented on the product page. This could be the ","buttonText":"Read more","renderAsInertiaLink":true}]}}],"meta":{"title":"Watch out: Over 500 million WhatsApp Users' data leaked","description":"WhatsApp – the world's most popular messaging app with over a billion users – has suffered one of the biggest data breaches in history. 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