While social media is a fantastic way to keep in touch or interact with people, social media scams are everywhere.
Social media scams take many forms, and many are native to one particular platform as Facebook scams, Twitter scams, Instagram scams (separate categories), and more are operating and trying to fleece people of money or use their personal information for nefarious purposes.
Facebook scams include messages from fake profiles, malware hidden in Facebook apps and games that are part of phishing attacks, and classified ad scams in the Facebook Marketplace.
Twitter scams can include emails sent from “Twitter,” and links in messages that are part of phishing attacks.
Multi-Level marketing scams are also common on social media and their empty promises of easy riches.
Social media can be wonderful, but be careful. Keep your eye on this space, and learn about the scams on social media as they emerge.
Green Card Lottery Scam: How It Works Hundreds of thousands of people want to come annually to North America, so it is no surprise that opportunities such as the Green Card Lottery are used – as duplicates by the scammers – to lure people into giving away their lifetime savings. The fraudsters set up websites […]
How the scam works: You are approached by somebody through e-mail, phone call, or fake e-mails, claiming to be a hit man hired to hurt you (or destroy your business, set your house on fire, etc). He says is hired by one of your enemies and asks if you can pay a bigger wage to […]
How the scam works: During the holiday season, we send and receive messages with all kinds of wishes– so you are not surprised when, one day, you receive an electronic card in your e-mail or your Facebook/ Twitter/ LinkedIn inboxes. You get the notification and are invited to open the card by clicking on a […]
How the scam works: You come across somebody online who is in need of your help. She might say she is in a hospital in the Ivory Coast, London, or Amsterdam with cancer (some scammers even shave their heads). Meanwhile, her children might need to be taken care of (or need college money). The story […]
How the scam works: Many people fill out applications for US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on a regular basis. Because the process is not that simple, bogus service providers on the internet help fill out the necessary forms and have the victims send them an electronic check in the amount of the application fee. […]
How the scam works: Every so often we hear about the killing or the arrest of an infamous person – from Osama Bin Laden and Gaddafi to Bernard Madoff. Scammers use this to their advantage and pose as former partners of the infamous character (someone from the Madoff’s Board of Directors) or soldiers who found […]
How the scam works: You are a creative person and have had a long-life hobby – building gadgets and toys of all kinds. Chances are you probably have some good creations that are worth patenting. If you are considering this, beware of scammers who try to cash in on your work. It is expensive and time-consuming to patent […]
IP Winner Scam: How It Works (with video below) You’re on a social networking site checking out what’s new with your friends when a pop-up ad informs you that you were selected as a winner of a free X-Box 360 or a gift card! It tells you that you were visitor number 100,000 or had […]
IQ Test Quiz Scam: How It Works (with video below) Scammers hack into your friends' accounts and post a link on your Facebook profile (or email), with titles such as: “Can you beat my IQ of 138? Click here”, "One of your friends sent you this IQ test" or “What is the next number […]
How the scam works: You can’t wait for the grand finale of your favorite TV show, whatever that is (The Bachelor, Hell's Kitchen, Orange is the New Black, etc). A few days before the anticipated show, you get a message (e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter) notifying you that you could be one of those privileged to […]
Winning Lottery Letter Scam: How It Works (with video below) This is the most common scam email that people receive. It can also come through the regular mail as a letter. The recipients are informed that they have won millions of dollars at some lottery. Some of the most used names are: International Postcode […]
Acai Berry Scam: How to Avoid The Acai Berry Scam is back with a new twist. It preys on people's despair to lose some weight by trying new products that are promised to be the new 'miracle cure'. It's that time of the year again, so beware. How does the scam work? Watch the […]
Account Upgrade Scam: How It Works Similar to the Bank Account Upgrade scam, this comes as an e-mail requesting you to update your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, eBay, Apple, iTunes, or PayPal accounts. The scammers inform you that: – the site is going through a revolutionary change to make communication better. – your account has been frozen […]
How the scam works: You are browsing the Internet and try to access a particular website. It could be an online magazine, shared page, or any interesting article. All of a sudden, pop-up appears saying “Adult Content Verification”. In a normal situation, this would be just a typical button: “press OK if you are over 18”. However, […]
How the scam works: If you are a big fan of smart phone apps, remember that the official distributors are iTunes and Google Play. It has been reported that scammers create websites that offer the Top 10 or Top 25 best paid apps in fake bundles (“Top 10 best apps for $25”). They then go […]
How the scam works: You receive an e-mail from somebody you don’t know. It seems that it was intended for someone else, but was accidentally sent to you. The message reads: “Thanks a lot Paul! I started 2 hours ago, so far so good. I made $285 and stopped for today. You have no idea […]
How the scam works: In most countries cigarettes can’t be sold to children. However, there are minors who think they can cheat the system by buying the cigarettes online. That’s where scammers set up their traps, especially advertising on social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter, where the “market” is rich. They create fake websites […]
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