Scam hits employee of famous YouTuber and causes controversy on social media. Understand the case.
Teacher and YouTuber Marcel Albuquerque was the victim of a cell phone scam that left him without access to his phone lines and all social media. It all started last week when he lost access to the internet, followed by a disconnected phone line and a message about a possible change of phone plan. The teacher then lost access to Instagram and WhatsApp.
The person who hijacked the account posted an investment offer pretending to be Marcel. The scammer used his photos in his stories and posted texts about investment opportunities. After talking to experts, Marcel believes that someone was improperly requesting that his phone number be transferred to another operator using his data, including name, CPF and phone number, to hijack his phone lines. Keep reading and learn more about the case.
Chip Scam
Marcel is part of YouTuber Felipe Neto's team. After his friend Felipe Neto, who has more than 45 million subscribers, was scammed, he went to his network to report what happened and demanded that authorities and moderators find a solution to this type of problem. The National Correspondent, which deals with this type of problem, Anatel, revealed that it is working to adapt mobile communication procedures and prevent fraud in response to the influencer.
The organization stated that combating fraud in the digital environment is routine and may require new measures. After that, Marcel recovered his line. However, WhatsApp has not yet been recovered and he is concerned that his contacts may have been copied.
Many people on social media have also reported suffering mobile attacks. In April of this year, Anatel changed its number transfer process, adding an additional verification step to increase the security of the process. With this update, customers who request the transfer of their cell phone number will receive a notification message on their cell phone screen and an SMS confirming the request to change carrier. These changes have already been implemented in several states. They will be completed throughout the country over the next few days, including in the Northeast, Southeast and North states.
According to Anatel, telecommunications service providers must take measures to prevent and stop fraud related to telecommunications services and to correct or reduce the consequences of such incidents. The Consumer Defense Council stated that consumers who have been victims of fraud have the right to receive compensation for damages in accordance with the General Regulation. The telecommunications company guarantees that it will take action whenever it identifies suspected violations.
Avoid scams
According to the Brazilian Consumer Defense Association (Proteste), it is important that consumers remain alert to unsolicited calls, messages or emails offering promotions, discounts or benefits related to their telephone line.
Legal professionals typically do not request personal data over the phone or via email. Additionally, text messages or emails with spelling, grammar, or formatting errors may indicate a scam attempt.
In addition to being careful about disclosing personal data, it is also necessary to check the telephone number or email address of the sender of the messages received. Furthermore, whenever possible, avoid clicking on unknown or suspicious links sent by representatives of the operators.
Offers that are too good to be true require confirmation through the operator's official channels. It is also recommended that you update your device and software regularly and protect them with antivirus and firewall.
If the user is fraud victim In the event of a mobile phone breach, Anatel recommends filing a police report with the Civil Police. The agency stated that it keeps records of all changes to the registration of service providers. These records can be handed over to security authorities to collect criminal evidence and identify the perpetrators.
