# WhatsApp "Vote for My Child" Scam: Get Your Account Back > A friend asked you to vote for their child and now your WhatsApp is gone or linked to a stranger? How the scam works and the official steps to get back in. - URL: https://www.awarexone.com/research/whatsapp-vote-for-my-child-scam - Author: Md Shariar Shanaz Shuvon, Founder & CEO, AwareXone - Published: 2026-10-29 - Topics: WhatsApp, Scams, Account recovery - Related service: WhatsApp account recovery: https://www.awarexone.com/social-media-recovery/whatsapp-account-recovery ## Short answer If you entered a WhatsApp code or scanned a QR code on a fake voting site, re-register your number in WhatsApp to get a new SMS code, which logs the scammer out, or remove unknown devices under Linked devices. If they set a two-step PIN, you may wait seven days. Warn contacts through another channel. ## Summary - The message comes from a contact whose account was already hijacked. - The fake voting page asks for your WhatsApp six-digit code or a Linked devices QR scan. - Re-registering your number with a fresh SMS code logs the scammer out. - If the scammer set a two-step PIN, you may have to wait seven days. - Turn on two-step verification yourself so it cannot happen again. The vote scam is back. Switzerland's National Cyber Security Centre reported a sharp rise in October 2026: a contact messages you asking to vote for a child in a competition, and the link leads to a convincing fake site. Here is how it takes your account and how to get it back. Last checked: 29 October 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this guide. ## How does the vote scam take over WhatsApp? The NCSC describes two routes. The site asks for your phone number and then the six-digit code sent by SMS, which is really WhatsApp's registration code, so the scammer activates your account on their phone. Or the site shows a QR code and asks you to scan it with Linked devices, which quietly adds the scammer's device to your account. > Warning: **One wrong step can cost you the account.** One wrong step can cost you the account, so know what you are doing before you start. If you are not sure, do not submit an appeal yet. Ask AwareXone for a free expert review first, then act. WhatsApp's Can't register phone number page says that for security reasons, the registration code is only sent by SMS or phone call, except that it can be sent by email if you're re-registering and already added an email address to your account. Enter your full international number with the country code and no leading zeros, wait for the timer to finish, which can take up to 10 minutes, and choose Call me if the SMS doesn't arrive. Don't guess the code, or you'll be locked out for a period of time. If you see You have guessed the code too many times, wait the time shown; WhatsApp says there's no way to make it faster. WhatsApp's Account security tips page lists the extra layers you can turn on once you have access: an email address, which lets you recover the account without SMS or a phone call; two-step verification; a password; a passkey linked to your phone's fingerprint, face or screen lock; app lock; chat lock; and, for people who may be targeted, strict account settings. WhatsApp says these features can't restore lost access or remove someone already using your account; in that case, recover the account first. ## I entered the SMS code. How do I get back in? 1. Open WhatsApp on your phone and register your number again. 2. Enter the new six-digit code you receive by SMS. This logs the scammer out. 3. If WhatsApp asks for a two-step PIN you never set, the scammer set it. The NCSC notes you may need to wait seven days before you can log in without it, but the scammer is logged out during that time. 4. Once back in, set your own two-step PIN under Settings, Account, Two-step verification. WhatsApp's How to recover a compromised account page says to tap Log back in, enter your full international phone number and the 6-digit code you receive by SMS or phone call. Re-registering with that code automatically logs out every device logged into your account. If you're asked for a two-step verification PIN you don't know, someone else using the account may have turned it on; WhatsApp says to wait 7 days and try again, and that anyone using your account is logged out once you enter the SMS code either way. WhatsApp also says changing your password won't remove someone else: re-registering with the code is the only way. WhatsApp warns that if you report the compromised account you're trying to recover, it might be banned and you could lose access to your account or data, so recover it first. It also recommends telling family and friends, because the person using your account could impersonate you in chats and groups, and says WhatsApp notifies you when someone tries to register an account with your phone number. Never share your registration code with anyone, not even friends or family. WhatsApp's About two-step verification page describes it as an optional feature that adds security by using two forms of authentication. When you turn it on, you can use your phone number, a password or an email address as the extra check, and a passkey lets you log in faster with your phone's fingerprint, face or screen lock. ## I scanned a QR code. What now? Go to Settings, Linked devices, tap any device you do not recognise and log out. Your phone stays logged in, so this cuts off the scammer. Read our guide on [ghost linked devices](https://www.awarexone.com/research/whatsapp-linked-device-ghost-pairing). WhatsApp's About linked devices page says you can link up to four devices at a time to your main phone, and that you still need the phone to register your account and link new devices. To review them, go to Settings, then Linked devices, and tap a device and Log out to remove it. WhatsApp disconnects linked devices automatically after 30 days of inactivity, and they log out if your phone is unused for more than 14 days. Turn on push notifications so you're alerted when a device is linked, and only link through official WhatsApp apps and websites: WhatsApp says linking to an unofficial app may result in a temporary or permanent ban. ## Who should I warn? Tell your contacts through another app, SMS or a call that your account was misused, and ask them not to click links or send codes. Scammers use hijacked accounts to spread the same message. Related guides: [WhatsApp "Wrong Number" Message Scam: What If I Already Replied?](https://www.awarexone.com/research/whatsapp-wrong-number-scam), [Report a WhatsApp Scam in Singapore: What Do ScamShield and the Police Need From Me?](https://www.awarexone.com/research/singapore-report-whatsapp-scam). WhatsApp's About suspicious messages and scams page lists signs to look out for: typos, being asked to tap a link or download an app, requests for card or bank details, birth dates or passwords, being asked to forward a message or pay to use WhatsApp, someone pretending to be a person you know, and messages about lotteries, jobs, investments or loans. When someone not in your contacts messages you for the first time, WhatsApp shows whether you have groups in common and which country their number is registered in. WhatsApp says it's free, so anyone asking for payment to use it or to unban an account is likely after your money or details. Malaysia's official portal says the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) is a rapid response centre set up by the government to handle online financial scam cases in real time, with Bank Negara Malaysia and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). The NSRC hotline is 997 and runs 24 hours a day. The portal says to call within 24 hours of discovering you've been scammed, so the authorities can block bank accounts and transactions to help recover funds, then contact your bank and make a police report at the nearest police station. It lists online shopping scams, investment scams, love scams and impersonation of banks or government agencies among the scams you can report. WhatsApp's How to protect yourself from suspicious messages and scams page gives four steps: pause and think about whether they're rushing you, threatening you or asking for money, a password or a PIN; stop the conversation and don't share anything if you can't verify who they are; block and report them; and update your privacy settings and turn on two-step verification. ## How do I keep the account safe while I sort this out? - Never share a login code, password or backup code with anyone, including people who say they work for Meta, the police or a recovery service. - Make sure the email address and phone number on the account are ones you still control, and remove any you do not recognise. - Turn on two-factor authentication where the platform offers it, ideally with an authenticator app, and keep your backup codes somewhere offline. - Log in only from the official app or by typing the address yourself, not from links in messages, comments or ads. - Keep screenshots of every notice, email and step you take, with dates, in case you need them for a review or a report. - Make one careful attempt at each official step rather than many rushed ones, because repeated failed attempts can trigger extra checks. ## When It Is Safer to Get Expert Help Ask for help before you appeal if the account matters to your income, your business or your memories, if you have already had one appeal rejected, or if you cannot tell whether the problem is a bug, a restriction or a hack. That is where most avoidable losses happen. AwareXone has solved 1,300+ cases and works only through official platform processes. Support is available 24 hours, every day. We never ask for your password, login codes or backup codes, and we never name our clients. [Request a free case review](https://www.awarexone.com/contact?interest=account-recovery-case) or [message us on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/601137634679). Malaysian cases are priced in MYR; other markets are quoted in USD after review. AwareXone is independent and not affiliated with Meta, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp or Threads. Recovery work is best-effort and the platform makes the final decision. ### Is the vote message really from my friend? It comes from their account, but their account has most likely been taken over. Call them on another channel before you click or share any code. ### Will I lose my chats? Re-registering on your own phone with the 6-digit SMS code logs the other person out. Chats on your phone stay, and backups can be restored if you reinstall. ### Can the scammer read my old messages? WhatsApp's recovery page doesn't say what they could see. Recover quickly, then check Linked devices and remove anything you don't recognise. ### Should I report it to the police? Yes, if money was asked for or lost. In Malaysia call NSRC 997 within 24 hours, in Singapore use ScamShield or the police, and report the account in WhatsApp too. ### Can AwareXone check my case before I appeal? Yes. AwareXone offers a free case review: tell us what WhatsApp shows on your screen and what you've tried, and we'll explain the safest next step. ## Official sources - [Official: Week 43: Scammers once again hijack WhatsApp accounts with fake requests to vote (read 29 October 2026)](https://www.bacs.admin.ch/en/26w43-en) - [Official: How to recover a compromised account (read 29 October 2026)](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1131652977717250) - [Official: About linked devices (read 29 October 2026)](https://faq.whatsapp.com/378279804439436) - [Official: Account security tips (read 29 October 2026)](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1095301557782068) - [Official: About two-step verification (read 29 October 2026)](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1278661612895630) - [Official: NSRC 997 Hotline (read 29 October 2026)](https://www.malaysia.gov.my/en/topics/nsrc-997-hotline) --- AwareXone is an independent Malaysia-based provider, not affiliated with any platform. The platform makes the final decision on every account. AwareXone never asks for passwords, OTP codes, backup codes or session cookies.