Social Media Scams: learn about four common scams and how to protect yourself!

The number of Internet users who use social media has continued to increase exponentially over the years and, of course, for cybercriminals, this is another opportunity to apply the most varied types of digital fraud!

Generally speaking, in scams applied using social platforms, fraudsters aim to steal the victims' personal information in some way or extort them financially under some pretext. 

Learn about four common social media scams and practical tips on how to avoid them!

Amazing promotions

It’s nothing new that cybercriminals deceive Internet users by advertising products at completely unrealistic prices, but this scam is now also being applied to some of today’s most popular social media. 

Scammers create fake profiles posing as authentic stores and advertise items with exorbitant discounts, creating a supposedly great purchase opportunity for users. 

Unfortunately, many people end up falling for the scam and buying the advertised products, which never actually reach them.

Account Invasion Warnings

Yes, criminals have also become experts at posing as official representatives of a particular social media to send fake messages to users claiming that someone is trying to invade their accounts.

The notification, which usually arrives by email, is commonly quite impersonal and automatic, much like the ones the platform would actually send, such as a password reset warning or login attempt. 

The victim, worried about the supposed account hijacking, clicks on the link in the message, which directs them to a fake page that mimics the layout of the social media. When the victim enters their login credentials to create a new password, this information is sent directly to the scammers. 

Job Offer Scams

The fake job offer scam has become extremely popular recently, both on social media specifically targeting work and on messaging apps like WhatsApp. 

In this scam, criminals create false job opportunities and ask the victim to provide documents or fill out a registration form full of personal information, which will immediately be stolen by the criminals. 

In some cases, the scammers even ask the victim to pay a certain amount to continue with the process. This is a clear sign of a scam, so don’t go any further!

False sales in hijacked profiles

The scam works as follows: first, the criminal manages to hijack a regular user's account through identity theft or even mass leaks. 

Then, the criminal begins advertising items for sale in the hijacked profile. Assuming the products are being advertised by someone trustworthy, some followers of the hijacked profile fall for the post and reach out to make a purchase.

The criminal then asks the interested person to transfer a sum of money for the item — and, voilà, the scam is a success. 

How to protect yourself from scams on social media?

• Be very careful with items advertised on social media at discounts that seem too good to be true. Research carefully to guarantee the store is trustworthy and that the promotion really exists.

• When you find a job advertised on a social media or messaging app, think long and hard before filling out an application or providing documents. Take your time and research the opportunity to find out if that company is really advertising the job.

• If a friend or family member is advertising items for sale in their profile, be cautious.  Before purchasing a product, contact the person by other means to confirm that the ads are real.

• Last but not least, if a message looks suspicious, don’t click on any links or install any files. This is one of the most effective ways to avoid falling for scams carried out through social media!