Users who copy IBANs from WhatsApp messages and make bank transfers end up sending money directly to scammers' accounts.
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According to Sözcü Gazetesi, users copying IBAN numbers from WhatsApp messages to make bank transfers are experiencing serious financial losses. The attack method works as follows: scammers send a message that appears to be an invoice, rent payment, or shopping payment the victim is expecting; when a user copies the IBAN from this message, they unknowingly send money to the attacker's account through their own bank's auto-complete feature or clipboard history. Payment screens in mobile banking applications that automatically read clipboard contents are particularly prone to enabling this risk. Security experts stress that before using any IBAN — regardless of the source — users must verify it manually, digit by digit. Once money has been sent, reversing the transaction is not possible in most cases. Users need to be extremely cautious about payment requests arriving from unknown contacts or unexpected messages.
Scammers are sending messages on WhatsApp that appear to be invoices or rent payments, directing IBAN numbers to fake accounts. The automatic clipboard reading feature in mobile banking applications is increasing this risk; money is often unable to be recovered after being sent.
WhatsApp users may unknowingly send money to scammers' accounts and suffer financial loss. It is critical to manually verify IBAN numbers rather than copying them directly in any payment request.
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