Kudzai Jakachira
Mobile network giant Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has issued an urgent advisory to millions of its subscribers, warning of a sharp rise in sophisticated social engineering scams and account takeover attempts targeting WhatsApp users across the country.
The warning comes as cybercriminals increasingly employ aggressive phishing tactics, malicious link sharing, and fraudulent calls to trick unsuspecting mobile users into surrendering access to their messaging profiles. Once compromised, these hijacked accounts are often weaponized by scammers to solicit money from victims’ contacts, impersonate family members, or intercept sensitive personal information.
In response to the growing threat, Econet has rolled out a comprehensive cybersecurity awareness campaign using text message blasts alongside updates across its official digital platforms on Facebook, Instagram, X, and the web. The telecommunications firm emphasized that securing personal messaging accounts is crucial to preventing fraudulent breaches and safeguarding digital identities.
Econet urged all customers to immediately strengthen their account settings by activating built-in defensive measures, specifically highlighting the activation of WhatsApp Passkeys and Two-Step Verification.
Econet stated that customers must proactively secure their WhatsApp accounts by accessing the security settings on their profile to enable passkeys and two-step verification. The company explained that this creates a critical defensive barrier so that if anyone attempts to compromise or hijack an account, the legitimate owner can still recover it.
To assist subscribers in fortifying their mobile security, Econet outlined essential steps to thwart common hacking techniques. Users are strongly advised to enable both WhatsApp Passkeys and Two-Step Verification, which includes setting a secure six-digit PIN and registering a recovery email address. Subscribers must never share one-time verification codes or security PINs with anyone, regardless of who the requester claims to be or how urgent the matter sounds.
Furthermore, customers should routinely inspect the linked devices section within their application settings and immediately remove any unfamiliar connections. Mobile users are also instructed to check their device call forwarding configurations to ensure unauthorized call diverting has not been stealthily activated.
To prevent remote interference, subscribers must avoid dialing unverified shortcodes starting with asterisks or hashes, refrain from scanning unknown QR codes on third-party websites, and log out of all web sessions when finished. Finally, Econet cautioned users against clicking on suspicious links and advised users to independently verify any financial requests or messages demanding money by placing a direct phone call to the contact before taking action.
Econet reiterated that keeping the messaging application updated to the latest official version ensures users receive essential security patches to block new tactics employed by fraudsters.
