Warning issued in Cuba about fake offers used to take over WhatsApp accounts

A Cuban citizen warned about fake electric-bicycle ads that she says are used in attempts to take control of WhatsApp accounts. In a social-media video, she described a sequence in which a purchase offer starts contact and a later phone call is used to request a code received on the mobile device. The described scheme combines an apparent sale with access to a personal account.

In the listings, supposed sellers offer home delivery. That promise forms part of the offer and precedes the phone call described in the warning. The method is not presented only with electric bicycles; she also mentions other products. The commercial proposal serves as the starting point for contacting a person who responds.

During the call, the other party requests a key arriving on the interested person's phone. The woman warns that sharing the code can facilitate access to the WhatsApp account. In her sequence, the request follows discussion of the product and delivery and turns information received on the phone into the central element of the deception.

She attributes to the people publishing the offers the purpose of taking over the account and impersonating its owner. In her explanation, control of the profile would allow a third party to pose as the victim. The stated risk concerns the messaging account and others acting from it as the legitimate user.

The young woman showed images of conversations involving agreements about money transactions and product delivery. Those exchanges are associated with the sale that begins the contact and illustrate the described dynamic: first a product is negotiated, then the code is requested by phone.

The warning centers on the combination of an offer, promised delivery, a call and the requested code. She connects the final step with account takeover and identity impersonation. The ads include electric bicycles and other items, so the method is not limited to one product category.