Cuban content creator Darelys Mendoza (@darelysms) reported on social media a type of scam that affected her family in Cuba, after criminals cloned her mother’s WhatsApp, who resides in Camagüey, using the supposed sale of a house advertised on the Revolico platform as bait.
Mendoza recounted in a video posted on her social media that it all started when she saw a house for sale that looked very appealing on the popular classifieds site used on the Island. From the United States, where she currently resides, she decided to notify her mother so that she could reach out to the supposed seller.
The mother called the number listed in the ad, and the seller told her he was not in Camagüey. He couldn’t show her the house, so he gave her instructions to join a WhatsApp group where, supposedly, the property owners and other interested buyers were.
"When she told me she joined a WhatsApp group, I said: run away because that's a scam, but it was already too late," explained Mendoza.
According to her testimony, the real problem began the next day. The scammers managed to clone the WhatsApp account on her phone and started messaging all the contacts saved on the device, asking for money in the victim's name.
“They cloned my WhatsApp. They had access to all my information because that phone used to be mine and I gave it away. I had all my contacts there,” said Mendoza.
The number used by the scammers to carry out the scheme is +5359310320.
The content creator decided to share the experience to alert other Cubans, as this type of fraud has become increasingly common on the Island, especially through fake housing or product advertisements on buying and selling platforms.
In the comments on her post, several users claimed that they have repeatedly heard about this same type of scam, while others pointed out that similar cases have occurred in different provinces of the country.
There were also those who expressed gratitude for the warning, acknowledging that they were not familiar with this type of digital fraud that exploits trust among family and friends to request money once the criminals take control of the account.
Mendoza emphasized the importance of being cautious with WhatsApp groups created by alleged sellers and always verifying the authenticity of any transaction before sharing personal information or taking action.
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