Can you insure against WhatsApp fraud?
The corona crisis has greatly increased the dependence on digital resources. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, people work more at home, which makes them more dependent on (online) means of communication such as Skype, e-mail and WhatsApp. In addition, many children are still fully or partially home schooled. There is also a large increase in online shopping.
This dependence on digital means provides good opportunities for fraudsters. Recent police figures show that the number of cybercrime cases has risen sharply during the coronas crisis. An increasingly popular form of cybercrime is WhatsApp fraud.
What exactly is WhatsApp fraud?
WhatsApp fraud involves fraudsters pretending to be someone the victim knows in order to ask for money. This could be a family member or a close friend. They use excuses to try to persuade the victim to transfer money. The fraudsters usually try to put pressure on their victims. It is supposedly an emergency and cannot wait. They need the money immediately.
In some cases, they have hacked into the phone of the person they are impersonating, but they also often make people believe that 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 Fraude Helpline reported more than 2,200 cases of WhatsApp fraud. The amount of damage per victim can be considerable. The amounts demanded vary from a few hundred euros to several thousand euros.
What is insured 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 various forms. Not everything is insured under the cyber insurance policy. The CyberCare Policy of Turien does not cover fraud, for instance. A scam is when a criminal persuades you to transfer money to him or her with fancy talk. You must always check carefully yourself whether the payment goes to the right person. Do you appear to have transferred money to a swindler? Then you are not insured for this.
Lately, however, a WhatsApp hack or WhatsApp hostage situation has become common. In such a situation, a SIM card is hacked and the way someone communicates is monitored. The hacker then pretends to be the person who has been hacked. This is how fraudsters try to persuade the victim's family and friends to transfer money. This is a case of identity fraud, hacking and phishing. Such a case is covered under the CyberCare Policy of Turien.
Should I report WhatsApp fraud?
Have you become a victim of WhatsApp fraud? Then you can choose to report it to the police. This is very easy to do on the police website. Not only successful attempts at WhatsApp fraud can be reported, but also attempts at it.
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 the premium of your cyber insurance directly!
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