WhatsApp used in fraud and kidnapping incidents in Honduras and Colombia

Criminals are increasingly utilizing WhatsApp to execute sophisticated scams and violent crimes across Latin America. In Honduras, a commercial company lost over 204,700 lempiras after hackers compromised the WhatsApp account of a Panamanian supplier. The attackers posed as the supplier to offer a favorable exchange rate for US dollars, prompting the company to transfer funds to a local Honduran account. Authorities have arrested two suspects, Brayan Adolfo Gómez Baquedano and Mario Abisaí Cañada Rodríguez, in Choluteca in connection with the aggravated fraud.

In Colombia, a 27-year-old accountant was kidnapped for four hours in the Usme district of Bogotá following a fraudulent job offer received via WhatsApp. Six armed men intercepted the victim, took him to a wooded area, and demanded 50 million COP from his family. During the ordeal, the captors seized approximately 15 million COP in cash and valuables. The victim was eventually released in the Villa Diana neighborhood. Local authorities, including the Gaula, are investigating the incident.