Social media scams can be especially daunting because they can take on many forms – from illegitimate friend requests to hacked profiles and malicious link attachments. Scammers send these inbox messages to trick victims into clicking a malicious link. Why It’s Dangerous: Social media scams like these collect Facebook credentials with the purpose of taking over accounts. Victims will pay an initial fee for the kit itself by entering their debit or credit card information. Why It’s Dangerous: Not only can scammers capture sensitive payment card information, they can also make fraudulent charges to victims’ cards. These social media scams convince users to pay through PayPal for advertisements that will never appear on pages that either do not exist or are not owned by the person of contact. Scammers can also price up these advertisement deals, legitimate or not, convincing users to make transactions through PayPal’s “Friends and Family” option. How can I avoid a social media scam? Messages that include attachments or links can often lead to phishing scams or malicious software downloads. If you receive a job offer through social media platforms, do a simple Google search of the company and the job listing to make sure it is legitimate.
Scammers are taking advantage of unsuspecting victims in the social media space. Social media scams can be especially daunting because they can take on many forms – from illegitimate friend requests to hacked profiles and malicious link attachments.
As the year draws to a close, let’s take a look at the most prominent social media scams of 2016 to prepare ourselves for the upcoming year.
#1: Facebook Friend Impersonator
How It Works:
Users receive a message from a long-time friend on Facebook where he or she claims to have won a large amount of money. They indicate that the victim has been included in the list of winners and urges them to pay a “shipping fee” to receive the money.
Why It’s Dangerous:
Often times, these social media scams occur after an account has been hacked or fallen victim to digital kidnapping. Scammers may also send the target a friend request prior to sending the message, allowing them to access the personal information they would otherwise not be able to view. As a result, this social media scam can also lead to identity theft, fraud and digital kidnapping.
#2: Facebook Phishing Scam
How It Works:
Users receive an inbox message saying that they have been mentioned in a comment (– mentions are typically delivered through notifications). Scammers send these inbox messages to trick victims into clicking a malicious link. By clicking the link, victims download a Trojan horse onto their computer, as well as a malicious Chrome extension. Once victims log into Facebook through the infected browser, scammers capture their login credentials.
Why It’s Dangerous:
Social media scams like these collect Facebook credentials with the purpose of taking over accounts. Once accounts have been hijacked, scammers are able to change profile settings, steal personal information and spread the malicious software to others through the hacked profile.
#1: Illegitimate Direct Messages
How It Works:
Users receive direct messages that urge them to click on shortened links sent as either part of the message or as an attachment. These messages prompt the user to click on the link, usually under the guise that the link leads to a funny or embarrassing picture of the target.
Why It’s Dangerous:
Most of the time, these links lead to phishing pages, emulating Twitter’s login page to steal login credentials. Once scammers gain access to an individual’s profile, they can steal personal information as well as spread the scam to others through the hacked page.
#2: Money-Making Schemes
How It Works:
The most common money-making scam on Twitter is the “Twitter Cash Starter Kit.” Fake promotional profiles convince users to purchase a “starter kit” that guarantees fast cash. Victims will pay an initial fee for the kit itself by entering their debit or credit card information. However, victims find that their cards are charged a hidden “membership” fee of $50+ each month after initial signup.
Why It’s Dangerous:
Not only can scammers capture sensitive payment card information, they can also make fraudulent charges to victims’ cards. Consequently, victims can…
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