Jerusalem, 8 November, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s National Cyber Directorate is warning the public about a WhatsApp scam disguised as a vote for the “most talented ballet dancer.”
The fraudulent messages, circulating widely on WhatsApp, contain links to websites asking users to connect their accounts to participate in the contest. But the supposed voting process is a trap that can give hackers access to victims’ accounts, allowing them to hijack the accounts and send malicious messages to their contacts.
The directorate cautioned that even messages from familiar contacts may be fraudulent if their accounts have already been compromised.
Israelis are urged not to link their WhatsApp accounts, enter verification codes, or scan QR codes as part of the voting process. Anyone who has already connected an account should check linked devices, remove unfamiliar ones, and alert contacts to suspicious messages.