{"id":8134,"date":"2020-06-04T08:36:14","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T08:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/?p=8134"},"modified":"2023-12-08T10:45:46","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T10:45:46","slug":"4-examples-of-social-media-scams-and-8-tips-to-stay-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/future-of-work\/4-examples-of-social-media-scams-and-8-tips-to-stay-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Examples of Social Media Scams and 8 Tips to Stay Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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We\u2019ll share four examples of common social media scams \u2014 what they are, how they work, and what you can do (and look out for) to stay safe on social media<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Congratulations! You\u2019re the latest winner of the Florida Lottery\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you lonely? So am I. I\u2019m a lonely and hot high school cheerleader, and I think we should get to know each other\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello. I\u2019m a tourist that\u2019s been traveling in Italy and I\u2019ve been detained due to the Coronavirus. I need your help! Please send money ASAP\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do all of these types of messages have in common? They\u2019re all examples of social media scams. Cybercriminals use messages like these to trick victims into clicking on links, sending personal information, and sending money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what do social media scams really entail and how do you recognize them for what they are? We\u2019ll explore these questions and will share several tips for how to stay safe on your favorite social platforms.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What Are Social Media Scams?<\/h2>\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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According to the FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Complaint Center<\/a> (IC3<\/sup>), a social media threat is a threat in which the use of social networking and social media platforms are used as a fraud vector. It specifies that social media, by their definition, doesn\u2019t include dating sites, although some sites lump those into their definitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what makes these types of scams so effective? Although, in many cases, cybercriminals are recycling old scams, they\u2019re finding new ways to make them effective again by changing up tactics and approaches. Instead of relying on the old and obvious Nigerian Prince scam, they might instead pretend to be your bank or an attractive military member<\/a> who\u2019s looking for a little companionship.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What Makes These Scams So Darned Effective<\/h3>\n\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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According to Consumers International<\/a>, social media gives criminals the ability to target you more effectively by providing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“[\u2026] access to vast amounts of personal data, which can then be used to target specific demographic groups and personalise scams to make them more convincing. For example, using a person\u2019s real name, or making reference to their hometown, recent holiday, hobbies and friends.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So, basically, they use the information you provide in your social media profiles to trick you into thinking they somehow know you or have a connection with you.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Cybercriminals are able to operate anonymously in a way that they couldn\u2019t in a face-to-face conversation. And people are more likely to let their guard down online than in person. After all, if a random stranger walked up to you and started asking for your personal information, it would set off alarms in your head. But if someone who appears to be a friend or a trusted authority reaches out online, you\u2019re more likely to cooperate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what are five of the most common social media scams? Let\u2019s explore a few examples:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Social Media Scam #1: Romance Fraud and Relationship Scams<\/h3>\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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They\u2019re attractive, eager, and interested in you \u2014 and they\u2019re ready to slide into your DMs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romance scams, or relationship fraud, are a type of fraud that involves cybercriminals pretending to be romantically interested in you. These predators pretend to be interested in their targets and woo them to get them to lower their guard. These types of scams often target people who are lonely \u2014 senior citizens, people who are widowed, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, romance fraud scams are a type of relationship scam \u2014 a category that also includes people pretending to be family members and friends who are in trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online dating apps and social media play a big role in how these cybercriminals choose and target victims.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How Relationship Social Media Scams Work<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In these types of scams, which could take place over a few days or even months, con artists will create phony profiles using photos of real people. They\u2019re use these profiles to strike up conversations and relationships with their targets to help build trust \u2014 which they can then take advantage of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, the goal is to get the victims to send them money, buy things, or to serve as product or money mules. In fact, up to 30% of romance scam victims were used as money mules<\/a> in 2018, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example of a of a romance or relationship fraud scam that\u2019s been shared by ScamWatch Australia:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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As you can see from the breakdown of this dating platform message, there are specific types of tactics that these con artists use to try to hook their targets:<\/p>\n\n\n\n