Digital scams are becoming more and more common. In fact, there are scams on Bizum, scams on Milanuncios, and even scammers on Telegram who steal your crypto. This time it was some users of Ualá who have been scammed . Now, it is important to understand how the scams have been carried out in Ualá, to determine how safe your app is.
Money theft in Ualá
Recently, some users of Ualá have reported that the money they had in their accounts has been stolen. In fact, so far there are 68 users who have been scammed and have lost the money they had on the platform.
Keep in mind that Ualá is a platform of Argentine origin that is valued at more than one billion dollars. In addition, this platform offers financial services to its users and the possibility of making payments with a MasterCard prepaid card. So, as big as Ualá is, how was money stolen from some of its users?
When reports began that some Ualá accounts had been stolen, some people claimed that this was because people’s passwords had been stolen. And indeed, Ualá has confirmed that the thefts were carried out due to a data breach . Please note that buying and selling both data and passwords from websites that trade in this personal information is considered a data breach.
Then, the data of some Ualá users was leaked and sold on unscrupulous websites and this allowed third parties to enter the accounts of those affected and make transfers to other accounts.
Now, from Ualá they have explained that their platform has not been violated and that of 4 million active accounts, only 68 have been affected. Likewise, in Ualá they have expressed that they cannot give details about the thefts and fraud cases that have affected their users because this is useful information for criminals.
How were the robberies suffered by Ualá users carried out?
The thefts that Ualá users have recently suffered negatively affect the company’s image . In addition, a question that is not yet known if Ualá has resolved is how the data and passwords of the users who were affected were leaked? In other words, was the data that was leaked possible due to vulnerabilities in Ualá’s security?
It is important that you take into account that some platforms such as Facebook or LinkedIn constantly suffer from data leaks . However, it is not common for the data of the users of a financial platform to be leaked.
Also, you should consider that these robberies suffered by Ualá users were carried out last weekend. In addition, financial platforms that have been victims of robberies are generally affected on weekends and Ualá has not been the exception . Take into account that financial platforms provide customer support services only on business days, so they are more vulnerable on weekends.
It seems that the data of Ualá users has been leaked because the platform does not offer much security . In fact, the vulnerability of Ualá is that it does not have two-step authentication, at least not yet for all its users. Take into account that two-step authentication is a very useful security measure and that more and more platforms use it, which is why Facebook will require double authentication.
Another factor that contributed to the robberies in Ualá being carried out is that the platform does not notify you when you make transfers. In this sense, Ualá is vulnerable because its users do not know if someone else has entered their accounts and made a bank transfer . Take into account that platforms like PayPal or Binance do notify you when you make a transfer and they do this as a security measure.
What happened to the stolen money in Ualá?
In Ualá they have prepared some measures so that the competent judicial entities return the money to the victims. However, apparently Ualá has contacted the people who suffered the robberies on the platform to return the money that was stolen from them. In any case, the company has not commented on the return of the money of its users. Take into account that it is expected that before making the refund to its users, Ualá will make an official statement.
Ualá has already issued an official statement, however, in this they do not talk about money returns . In fact, in its statement, the company says that they are following each case of the robbery victims, that it is not a vulnerability in the Ualá platform and that they are working to improve their security.
What can you do if you have an account in Ualá and have been robbed?
If you have been the victim of a scam in Ualá and have lost your money, you should quickly contact the platform’s support team. In fact, you can communicate with the Ualá support team through the app’s chat, through their social networks or through their email and all the ways to contact them are on the Ualá website .
In any case, you should consider that the support team of this platform only attends from Monday to Friday in social networks and from Monday to Saturday in the chat of the app.
Now, if you have an account in Ualá and you have not been a victim of theft, it is best to change your password . In addition, you should periodically check if the platform already allows you to activate two-step authentication. If you want to have a strong password, it’s best to make it long, multi-word, and use uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
The thefts that Ualá users have suffered represent a big problem for the company . Take into account that some of its users have expressed that they do not want to continue using Ualá’s services. Also, unlike the Orange Card problem, the Ualá problem is more than just a bug.
