Spam WhatsApp group - with someone I know?

[Whatsappweirdo]

Just got added to a WhatsApp group by a number I don’t know. Checked the other six people in the group and one is someone who IS a contact, someone I worked with a few years ago…

AIBU or is this weird? Spam WhatsApp groups you get added to by scammers are like phishing exercises aren’t they, they add random numbers to see who bites? How do they know both me and this random colleague to add to this random group?!

Sounds like their address book has been hacked.

Your colleague was probably in a data breach years ago and had their contacts nicked. The other five people they’ve added are probably also old contacts of your colleague.

The hope on the part of the scammers is that people in the group will recognise at least one other person as a contact and will then believe the group is legit for that reason.

Just delete and block.

Yes! As has been said, remove yourself, and block!