Attempts to Take Over Signal and WhatsApp Accounts Continue

Attackers try to exploit residents' inattentiveness and lack of knowledge about app functionalities to extract data that allows them to take over residents' Signal and WhatsApp accounts. If you receive a message via SMS, email, or another method where a 'friend' asks you to forward a code that they accidentally sent to your number, or if you get a message supposedly from WhatsApp asking you to send your PIN code, it is an attack. WhatsApp will only ask you to enter your PIN code within the app when you register your account on a new device or as a regular reminder not to forget it — the app will display a PIN entry panel that temporarily locks access to WhatsApp, prompting you to enter your PIN. This gives you control over which files to download to your phone and reduces the risk of downloading infected documents sent from a potentially hacked account. If you receive a notification from 'Signal Support Service,' 'Security Bot,' or any other account requesting your PIN or registration code (a one-time 6-digit number Signal sends via SMS to verify your phone number), do not share it. You should only enter your PIN when setting up your Signal account on a new phone, adding an additional device to your Signal account, or if Signal displays a PIN entry panel to help you remember your PIN — the panel appears over the app, blocking access and prompting you to enter your PIN, but it does not require you to send it anywhere.