WhatsApp and SMS scams: How to spot scams: fake competitions and fines to steal data and money.

Two messages on the same phone, received less than an hour apart, reveal two sides of the same scam: exploiting a seemingly trustworthy sender, creating a sense of urgency, and encouraging the victim to open a connection. This is the mechanism behind two digital scams reported in the last few hours, one linked to WhatsApp and the other to a fake fine attributed to PagoPA.

In the first case, the bait is a supposed contest. The message, which can also come from a contact already in the recipient's address book, invites users to vote for a girl competing in a dance competition and contains a link. The page asks for a phone number and then a code received via SMS.

That code, however, isn't used to cast a vote. It's used by scammers to activate the victim's WhatsApp account on another device. Once they gain access, the perpetrators can contact the victim's family and friends, posing as the victim and asking for money under the guise of an emergency.

The scheme is already well-known and is also referred to as the "vote for the dancer" scam. The bait can change: instead of the dance competition, a scholarship, a sports competition, or other seemingly credible initiatives may appear. The mechanism, however, remains the same: obtain the activation code and take control of the profile.

A phenomenon that has also affected the Lecco area, where in March two men reported receiving similar messages to the Carabinieri in Mandello.

The second scam instead targets fears related to fines. In this case, the victim receives a text message reporting a suspected traffic violation and prompting them to click on a link to verify the fine.

The link may lead to a page that requests the vehicle's license plate and displays a nonexistent fine, often accompanied by the promise of a 30 percent discount for those who pay within five days. In this case, too, haste is an integral part of the trap: the goal is to prevent the victim from checking the authenticity of the message.

The real goal, however, was to obtain payment card details. Variants of the scam have been reported in various areas of Italy, including the Benevento area, where municipal police have urged residents not to open the links contained in the messages.

PagoPA has clarified that it does not send direct payment requests via SMS or email, and does not ask for passwords, bank details, or card numbers. Authentic payments go through the official domain checkout.pagopa.it, while legally binding notifications can arrive via registered mail, certified email, or the Send service, also available on the IO app.

The basic rule, in both cases, is not to trust links received via message inviting you to vote, verify information, or make payments. Even if the sender appears to be someone you know, it's best to contact them through another channel before proceeding. For fines, however, verification must be done by accessing the official websites of the municipality or the competent authority.

To protect your WhatsApp account, we also recommend enabling two-step verification. If the app suddenly disconnects or you receive a prompt to transfer your account to another device, it's important not to confirm the operation and proceed with recovering your profile, notifying your contacts immediately.

Anyone who has already entered their card details on a suspicious page should immediately contact their bank to block the payment method and file a complaint. Reports can also be made through the Postal Police.

The numbers reflect the scale of the phenomenon. According to an analysis by Fabi based on Postal Police data, online scams and cyber fraud in Italy accounted for €269 million in 2025, compared to €229,1 million in 2024. There were 27.085 cases, compared to 27.182 the previous year.

In 2025, the Postal Police handled 51.560 cases of cybercrime, resulting in 293 arrests and 7.590 reported cases. In the Lecco area, the latest available data for 2024 shows 1.559 reports of various types of fraud. Fabi's analysis of regional Postal Police data also estimates that approximately €1,6 million was stolen from citizens of the province through online and computer fraud.