Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry issues alert over WhatsApp impersonation scams

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan (MIA) has issued a public warning advising citizens to exercise extreme caution regarding fraudulent financial requests transmitted via WhatsApp and social media from cloned accounts impersonating familiar contacts.

According to the ministry, cyber fraudsters harvest profile pictures, names, and publicly accessible data of real individuals to establish duplicate accounts. These fabricated profiles are then used to message relatives, colleagues, and acquaintances asking for urgent money transfers under various pretexts. The MIA stressed that the appearance of a recognizable name and photograph does not authenticate account ownership.

Authorities strongly advise individuals to refrain from sending money until directly verifying the request with the actual person via an alternative channel, such as a direct phone call. Citizens are urged never to share banking credentials or personal identification data, and to avoid clicking unverified links. Instances of suspected fraud should be reported immediately to the MIA's "102" Call Center or its official social media pages.

N.Tebrizli