“I Didn’t Click Any Link, Yet Lost Access...”: Indian Man In Kuwait Shares Shocking Experience Of WhatsApp Hacking
A Kuwait-based Indian has shared his recent ordeal of being a victim of a WhatsApp hacking incident, highlighting how easily such cybercrimes can unfold, even without clicking suspicious links or installing unknown applications.
The man described the terrifying experience that began on a quiet Tuesday night. “I always tell people not to click any link or install anything from unknown sources,” he said in a video message posted on Instagram. “But I don’t know how it happened. I hadn’t clicked anything, yet all of a sudden, I lost access to my WhatsApp. The hacker took control of everything.”
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According to his account, the hacker gained admin privileges in his family, personal, and professional groups and began sending offensive messages.
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“He started sending bad words, changed group names, and even asked my contacts for money,” the victim said. “He claimed he was from Pakistan and said, ‘I won’t spare any Indians.’ “I don’t actually know who he is or where he’s from,” he added.
Despite his repeated efforts, the man was unable to regain control of his WhatsApp account overnight. The next morning, the hacker continued using abusive language and demanded money from his group members. “He was talking in the Pakistani language and kept using curse words in my family groups. It was shocking and embarrassing,” he recalled.
Friends and colleagues initially suggested that the problem could be due to an outdated WhatsApp version. However, even after updating, the issue persisted. Eventually, he decided to report the case to the authorities in Kuwait.
“The first thing anyone should do is go straight to the police,” he advised. “I went to the CID office in Kuwait. They took all the details, gave me a card, and asked me to file a written complaint. They explained that the hacker had probably redirected the recovery codes to his own number, so I couldn’t get them.”
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The police also guided him through the recovery process, including using the call option for verification codes and setting up two-factor authentication (2FA) for additional security.
However, in his case, even that didn’t seem to help. “I had already set up two-factor authentication earlier, but somehow it still got hacked. I even tried my old 2FA code, but it didn’t work,” he explained.
The hacker’s display name reportedly appeared as “Phaktoon”, though no further identity details are known.
Fortunately, the victim did not lose any money in the attack, as he quickly alerted his family and contacts to ignore any messages or requests from his compromised account. “That’s the only good thing — I didn’t lose money. I immediately informed everyone not to respond to any message from my number,” he said.
He now warns others in Kuwait and abroad to stay vigilant, keep apps updated, and enable all possible security measures. “This can happen to anyone. I never thought it would happen to me, but it did,” he said in his video. “So please, take cyber safety seriously.”
Cybersecurity experts in Kuwait have also noted a recent rise in WhatsApp hijacking attempts, especially targeting expatriates. Authorities urge victims to report such cases promptly to the Cybercrime Investigation Department (CID) to prevent further misuse.
