Hopewell Chin'ono falls victim to WhatsApp scam

Journalist and government critic Hopewell Chin'ono has revealed that he recently fell victim to a WhatsApp scam after fraudsters allegedly hijacked the account of a television journalist and used it to solicit money from unsuspecting contacts.

Writing on social media platform X, Chin'ono said he lost R1,500 after receiving what appeared to be a genuine request for financial assistance from a colleague working for a television station. Chin'ono shared a proof of transfer to Mr Li Chili with reference Siniketiwe.

According to Chin'ono, the message came from the journalist's WhatsApp account and requested a short-term loan of R1,500, with a promise that the money would be repaid the following day.

Believing he was assisting a colleague, he agreed to help.

"The person first asked me to do a cash send, but I explained that my account does not have that facility because it is a non-resident account with certain restrictions. I was then given a Capitec bank account number and transferred the R1,500," Chin'ono wrote.

However, when he later contacted the journalist to confirm receipt of the funds, he discovered that her WhatsApp account had been compromised and that she had never sent the request.

The money had instead been transferred directly to criminals.

Chin'ono said the incident highlights the growing sophistication of cybercriminals, who increasingly target victims by impersonating trusted friends, colleagues and family members.

"I am sharing this as a warning to others. If someone contacts you asking for money, no matter how well you know them, pick up the phone and speak to them directly before sending anything," he said.

"That is the mistake I made. I assumed I was communicating with a colleague and did not think to verify it."

He noted that scammers often request relatively modest amounts of money to avoid raising suspicion.

"The scammers are clever. They ask for relatively small amounts that do not immediately raise suspicion. In this case it was R1,500, an amount many people would send without thinking twice if they believed they were helping a friend or colleague," he said.

Chin'ono also expressed concern about how the journalist's account was compromised, noting that the number was registered with a major mobile network operator.

He said it remained unclear whether the fraud involved a hacked WhatsApp account, a SIM swap or another method of gaining unauthorised access.

"Whether this was a hacked WhatsApp account, a SIM swap, or some other form of compromise, it is a reminder that none of us should assume that a message is genuine simply because it comes from a familiar number," he said.

The journalist said he has advised the affected colleague to report the matter to the police and provide investigators with the banking details used by the scammers.

He noted that the funds were transferred into a Capitec account, which could potentially assist law enforcement agencies in identifying those responsible.

Chin'ono also revealed that he retained screenshots of the conversation before the messages disappeared, a step that may prove important in any investigation.

According to him, the fraudsters had activated WhatsApp's disappearing messages feature, which automatically deletes messages after a specified period.

"In this case, the messages were configured to disappear after 24 hours, making it more difficult for victims to retain evidence of what was said," he said.

He warned that the use of disappearing messages is becoming an increasingly common tactic among cybercriminals seeking to reduce the amount of evidence available to victims and investigators.

The incident serves as a reminder of the growing threat posed by online fraud and identity theft, with experts urging members of the public to independently verify requests for money, even when they appear to come from trusted contacts.

"It only takes a few seconds, and it could save you from losing your money to criminals," Chin'ono said. "It could have been a huge amount of money."