The police force said a new scam was spreading through the messaging app, using children as bait to lure victims. In the messages, the alleged scammer asks recipients to vote for a friend's daughter who is supposedly taking part in a competition and needs votes to win.

The GNR warns anyone receiving such a message to verify whether it is genuine and avoid taking any action before confirming the information.

If users click on a shared link, they should not share any verification codes or QR codes that may appear on the website they are redirected to. The GNR strongly advises against opening the link in the first place to reduce the risk of devices being hacked.

WhatsApp scams in Portugal

This is not the first time Portugal has faced a scam involving WhatsApp.

The “Hi, Dad! Hi, Mum!” scam became notorious for deceiving numerous Portuguese people. In this scheme, the scammer pretended to be the recipient's child, claiming to have urgently changed their phone number. They would then ask their parents for money, which was often sent.

The perpetrator, a 44-year-old man, was eventually caught and brought before a court in Leiria. On 7 October, he was ordered to pay €58,628.58 to the State and almost €13,000 in compensation for the material and non-material damages suffered by several victims.

Social media alerts

The GNR has increasingly used social media to warn the Portuguese public about various dangers, both online and in the real world.

The force says these platforms allow it to reach a wider audience across different age groups, while continuing to inform citizens about how to protect themselves and what precautions to take in their daily lives in different situations.

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