As we learn from essayhilfe.de among other sources, scams on Instagram occur when users create fake accounts or hack the accounts they follow.

Scammers use these fake or compromised accounts to trick you into sending them money or revealing personal information. Here are some common forms of Instagram scams.

Lottery scam

Lottery fraud is often committed through accounts similar to those of an acquaintance. They may also appear to belong to a known organization (e.g. a government agency). It claims that you have won the lottery and that you can receive your money for a small upfront fee. The scammer may ask you to provide personal information, such as: B. your address or bank details, which he can use for other criminal activities.

'Romantic' scam

Romance scammers typically send romantic messages to people they don't know, often pretending to be divorced, widowed, or in distress. They build online relationships by claiming to need money for flights or visas. Their goal is to gain your trust, so conversations can continue for weeks before they ask for money. Be careful when talking to people you don't know in real life.

Loan fraud

These scammers inform you about places that offer instant loans at a low interest rate and a small upfront fee. Once the first payment is made, they may ask for more money to make a larger loan or simply disappear with your money. Avoid transactions with people you don't know.

Job scam

Instagram reports that job scammers are using misleading or fake ads to get your personal information or money. Avoid job ads that sound too good to be true or ask you to pay anything upfront. When clicking on a link in a job ad, be careful on websites that do not appear to be related to the original job ad or require confidential information (e.g. ID number). You can find out more about data from Instagram here .

Wrong investments

Scammers may promise unrealistic financial benefits, such as: E.g. offering to increase a small amount of money and requesting money from you. This false promise causes the scammer to disappear with the payment. Some types of false investment scams to watch out for are “cash flipping” scams, Ponzi schemes, or “Get Rich Quick” schemes.

Credit card fraud

These scammers use stolen financial information to make online purchases or trick people into purchasing goods or services at a significantly lower price than the market price. If you notice any suspicious activity on your credit card, you should report it to your bank immediately.

What to pay attention to

  • People asking you to send them money or gift cards in exchange for a loan, prize, or other winnings.
  • People who ask you for money but who you don't know.
  • Anyone who asks you to pay a fee to apply for a job.
  • People asking you to move your conversation from Instagram to a less public or less secure environment, such as: B. in a separate email.
  • People who claim to be from Instagram Security and who ask you to provide account information (such as your username or password) or offer you account verification services.
  • People who claim to be in distress.
  • People or accounts asking you to claim a prize that belongs to you.
  • Messages that appear to come from a friend or company asking you to click on a suspicious link.
  • People misrepresenting their location.
  • Incorrect messages or posts

Common scams and preventative strategies

Our final section is dedicated to the most common fraud cases. These include free followers, fake accounts and phishing.

1. Free Followers

Influencers are paid by brands and companies to promote products on their social media profiles. It's an extremely lucrative business - the larger and more engaged your audience is, the higher the fees you can charge. Therefore, “generous” companies offer to send you free or insanely cheap followers or likes in the hope that you will buy more. Most of these accounts are fake.

If your follower count suddenly becomes very high, this is a red flag for potential partners. Before working with an influencer, brands should always check the account's on-site followers and make sure they are authentic and in line with their target audience.

2. Fake brand accounts

They promise exclusive discounts and freebies, but these fake accounts buy likes and followers and constantly post until their profiles seem like the real deal. The end game is to sell illegal counterfeit goods. Almost 20% of all fashion product posts on Instagram contain counterfeit products, and according to Ghost Data, over 50,000 accounts promote and sell counterfeit products every day. This is a 170% increase from 2016.

If you decide to shop on social media, review the account carefully. Most genuine brands are verified. See what the URL points to and look for strange spelling errors. Be careful which accounts post very often. Are they all freebies? Does it look professional? Be sensible. It is suspicious if sellers offer expensive products at low prices or are characterized by unusual payment terms or methods.

3. Phishing

Phishing is when someone tries to access your Instagram account by sending you a suspicious message or link asking for your personal information. If they get into your account, a scammer may have access to your phone number or email address. You can also change your password so that you do not have access to your account. Be careful with any communication claiming to come from Instagram. Verification services are never paid. Verify the sender's email address and enable two-factor authentication. This means that even if your password has been compromised, you will need a secondary code to log in to your account for an additional level of protection.

Dorothea Oppelland
Dorothea Oppelland

A guest article by Dorothea Oppelland: Dorothea Oppelland is a marketing specialist and business consultant who currently works Ghostwriterpreise.com Dorothea studied business administration at the University of Hamburg. Now she writes for marketing and business resources. You can get an insight into their service on Ghostwriting Experiences

Article image: Shutterstock / By ashadhodhomei


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