Social Media scams are rampant these days. Here are five red flags to watch out for next to you’re scrolling your social media feeds.
- Seeming urgent or using pressure tactics. Scammers often pressure victims to act quickly to take advantage of a deal or take immediate action to avoid supposed negative consequences.
- Too-good-to-be-true. Some scammers lure their victims in with promises of incredible deals, prizes, or investment opportunities. If an offer appears too good to be true, chances are it is.
- Spelling or grammar errors in account names or URLs. An easy way to spot a scammer advertising fake social media apps, or impersonating popular brands, websites, or people is by looking for bad grammar and clear misspellings in their name or messages.
- Requests for a wire transfer. This red flag may appear in several different social media scams. If someone asks you to initiate a wire transfer for any reason, that’s an immediate red flag.
- Overly eager romantic connections. If someone you’ve connected with online appears to be quickly escalating the relationship or is overly eager to talk with you, this is a red flag.
Be cautious and closely examine interactions on social media to protect yourself from fraud!
