Police and the National Cyber Directorate are advising people not to answer WhatsApp calls from unknown numbers coming from abroad, warning that they could be part of an attempt to hack phones.
The calls, which also include video calls, are apparently flooding Israelis’ phones, according to authorities.
At least one such call has come to a Times of Israel phone number as of this writing, from a Toledo, Ohio, area code.
“We recommend not answering them and not calling them back,” police say.
The cyber directorate notes that answering the call itself will not lead to a phone being hacked or damaged. It says the issue is being reported to Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company.
Authorities ask that WhatsApp users set their privacy settings to hush calls from unknown numbers.
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 27, 2023
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
