Can you insure against WhatsApp fraud?
The corona crisis has greatly increased reliance on digital resources. There are several reasons for this. First, people are working more from home, making them more dependent on (online) means of communication such as Skype, e-mail and WhatsApp. In addition, many children are still fully or partially homeschooled. There has also been a large increase in online shopping.
This reliance on digital means offers great opportunities for scammers. Recent figures from the police show that the number of cybercrime cases increased significantly during the corona crisis. An increasingly popular form of cybercrime is WhatsApp fraud.
What exactly is WhatsApp fraud?
WhatsApp fraud involves scammers posing as an acquaintance of the victim to ask for money. This could be a family member or a close friend, for example. With excuses, they try to persuade the victim to transfer money. Usually the scammers try to pressure their victims. It's supposedly an emergency and really can't wait. They need the money right away.
In some cases, they have hacked the phone of the person they pretend to be, but they also often make people believe they have a new phone number. WhatsApp fraud is one of the most increasing forms of cybercrime. In the first quarter of 2020 alone, the Fraud Helpdesk reported more than 2,200 cases of WhatsApp fraud. The damage amount per victim can be substantial. The amounts demanded range from several hundred euros to several thousand euros.
What is covered with my cyber insurance?
More and more insurers are offering cyber insurance. Through Alpina, you can purchase a CyberCare Policy from Turien. The CyberCare Policy helps you and your resident family members in case of cyber incidents. But is WhatsApp fraud also co-insured under the CyberCare Policy?
WhatsApp fraud takes several forms. Not everything is included in cyber insurance. For example, Turien's CyberCare Policy does not cover scams. There is a scam if a criminal persuades you to transfer money to him or her with nice talk. You should always check carefully yourself that the payment is going to the right person. Do you appear to have transferred money to a swindler? Then you are not insured for this.
Recently, however, WhatsApp hacking or WhatsApp hostage-taking is also common. In such a situation, a SIM card is hacked and the way a person communicates is monitored. Then the hacker pretends to be the person who was hacked. In this way, scammers try to persuade family and friends of the victim to transfer money. This case involves identity fraud, hacking and phishing. Such a case does get covered under Turien's CyberCare Policy.
Should I report WhatsApp fraud?
Have you become a victim of WhatsApp fraud? Then you may choose to report it to the police. This can be done very easily through the police website. Not only successful attempts of WhatsApp fraud can be reported, but also attempted ones.
Get cyber insurance through Alpina.nl
Do you want proper insurance against WhatsApp fraud? Then cyber insurance is a good idea. Via Alpina, you can take out cyber insurance with Turien. Calculate online already the indicative premium of your cyber insurance.
Do you have questions about obtaining cyber insurance? If so, please contact us. We are happy to help you! We can be reached by phone from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 18:00 at telephone number 088-6883712.
Calculate your cyber insurance premium right away!
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