Ramona Attard warns public after Whatsapp account hacked in scam

Government MP Ramona Attard has warned the public after her WhatsApp account was hacked and used to solicit money from her contacts through a scam involving a third-party Revolut account.

In a Facebook post published on Wednesday, the MP said an unknown individual had gained unauthorised access to her WhatsApp account and was sending messages to people in her contact list requesting money.

"Someone illegally accessed my WhatsApp and is sending messages to my contacts asking them to send money for rent through Revolut," she wrote. "I do not even have a Revolut account. This is a scam and it is not me sending these messages."

The MP said she had reported the incident to the police.

Speaking to MaltaToday, she said the hacker had been asking her contacts for €1,150. Recipients were reportedly being sent a link directing them to a Revolut account belonging to a third party.

A photo of the scam message

The MP urged members of the public not to respond to any requests for money sent through her WhatsApp account and to ignore any suspicious messages purporting to be from her.

She said the hackers who have accessed her account are also archiving her messages, and so she has no visibility on who is being contacted.