Hyderabad: HyderabadCommissioner of Police VC Sajjanar on Sunday issued a stern warning against a new cyber threat known as ‘Ghost Pairing’ on WhatsApp. The Commissioner explained that this scam exploits the application’s device-linking feature to gain full access to a victim’s account without the need for a password, OTP, or a physical SIM swap.

Taking to social media to alert the public, the Commissioner shared a common tactic used by hackers. “If you receive a message saying, ‘Hey, I just found your photo’ with a link, do not click it, even if it appears to come from someone you know,” he posted on X.

Sajjanar explained that clicking such links directs users to a fraudulent webpage designed to mimic the official Facebook or WhatsApp Web interface. Victims are then tricked into ‘verifying’ their identity, which unknowingly pairs their WhatsApp account with the hacker’s device.

“The link takes you to a fake WhatsApp Web page and tricks you into pairing your account with a hacker’s device without OTPs, SIM swaps, or alerts,” Sajjanar warned. Once a device is paired, scammers can monitor private conversations, access personal photos, videos, and contacts, and even send messages while impersonating the victim. In many cases, the original user is eventually locked out of their own account.

“Users must remove any unfamiliar sessions immediately. Any request to scan QR codes or verify accounts through external sites should be treated with extreme suspicion,” the Commissioner added.