Social Media, App-Based And Online Messaging Scams

If an unfamiliar person contacts you through social media, messaging platforms or apps like WhatsApp or WeChat, it could be a scam. Scammers pretending to be someone else often use an actual photo of the person or the official logo of the organization they are pretending to be, to make it more difficult to detect a scam. Scammers will set up fake profiles on social media and may even pretend to be a government, real business, work-employer, investment firm, or even a friend, family member, or love-interest.

They can impersonate famous people and make it look like they are promoting goods or services. Scammers can also learn a lot about you through the details you reveal on your social media accounts. They may use this information to guess the passwords of your accounts or target you through other scams.

Signs Of A Social Media Or App Scam, In A Social Media Profile Or App

• You’re told ways to make money quickly, easily, with little threat or effort.
• You are invited to enter a contest or a limited-duration offer.
• An app, such as a dating app, is requested to take conversations to other private chats or emails.
• Approval or endorsement of a product or service is suggested by a well-known person.
• Something you sell is said to be bought by someone else without seeing it first and at a high price.
• Threatened to share your personal photo unless you give them money.
• You are approached to give you a job.

Steps To Stay Safe From Social Media And App-Based Scams — That You Can Take/Take

1.Check if the profile may be fake. Is the account active? How many friends/followers do they have and how much do they post online?

2. search online for the name of the profile with the word ‘scam’.

3.Never accept a job presented to you without an interview, or a discussion about your experience/appropriateness and references. Recruiters and post proposals should investigate about a particular occupation or individual. Contact them through phone numbers obtained from an Internet search unconnected with the recruitment agency. Don’t pay money just to save a job position.

4.Only consult with the Australian Financial Services licensee about the investment and check that the company or website name is not on the Investor Alert Portal of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).

5.Never give money to someone you only met online. Scammers often say that they live abroad and cannot meet you in person.

6.Never send intimate photos of yourself to anyone you’ve only met online.

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