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Blackberry warns users of scams
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iPhone 5s with Blackberry messenger app for iOS. (Shutterstock/Vdovichenko Denis)
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mid the news of Blackberry’s plans to discontinue its hardware production, the smartphone maker has alerted its users to the growing number of scams carried out via the BBM app. Jann Yip, marketing and communications of BBM issued a release, giving BBM users tips on what to watch out for when receiving strange messages in the app.
Scammers are experts in creating false urgencies through scare tactics, imitating details such as names, pictures and trademarks, and chat circles around anyone who’s unprepared to deal with their mind games.
In its release, BBM highlights the common scenarios often used by scammers in the app:
- Unusual or unexpected requests from a known contact, usually asking for money.
- Random message to watch a free video or in some instances, or inappropriate material
- Messages or requests from an unknown contact
- A known contact acting oddly and speaking in an out-of-character manner
- Spelling and weird grammatical errors in details like the user’s name or URLs users receive
- Messages that seems impersonal, mechanical or generic and does not address the user by name
- Too good to be true offers such as winning prizes from sweepstakes users never signed up for, or free gifts
- Messages sent by senders that imply or directly stated serious consequences if the user don’t respond to their requests immediately
- Unusual or suspicious profile of the sender, such as being completely devoid of updates
(Read also: BlackBerry, once a phone innovator, to stop making its own)
To avoid these scenarios and phishing attacks, BBM warns users to never enter their BBID and password on a website that comes as a link in BBM. The app will never ask users to enter their BBID and password on a website. BBM suggests to exit the webpage immediately should these kind of requests appear.
The legitimacy of the user can be verified by using a non BBM account to validate if their BBID email address or BBM has been compromised. To protect themselves from being compromised, users must set a password recovery question and confirm their email.
The BBM app for iOS and Android has a mobile number registration feature that allows new users to create a BBM account with a phone number, no longer with an email address as seen in previous versions. Phone number signups eliminate users’ email accounts exposure, which is usually used by scammers to gain access to BBM.
