WhatsApp scam asking for ballerina votes hijacks accounts

A WhatsApp message asking you to vote for a girl named Eliška in a dance contest is a scam, and it is spreading in the Netherlands. The message says she is a friend's daughter and that first prize is a free dance lesson. Criminals use it to gain access to WhatsApp accounts. The Fraudehelpdesk says it is receiving many reports.

The message appears to come from someone in the recipient's contact list, which makes the trick believable. Through the link, criminals try to get hold of a verification code. If the code is entered on a fake website, the criminals' device is linked to the victim's account.

"We get dozens of calls a day about this," a spokesperson said. Most callers received the message, and few clicked the link. The helpline says the split is roughly fifty-fifty: slightly more than half of reports are actual hacks, and slightly fewer are attempted phishing.

Aad Lensen, police project leader for online crime, said criminals with access can easily impersonate the victim, read private conversations and approach the victim's contacts with new scams. "That is a serious breach of privacy," he said.

The Fraudehelpdesk's advice: "Do not click the link, do not enter a phone number and do not share a verification code." It says to delete the message and warn the person it seems to come from through another channel, not the hacked account. Its main advice is to slow down and "always first check with that person whether the message really came from them".