Scammers impersonate celebrities on social media

Hackers Copy Influencers Account To Seek Monetary Favours

Cyber fraudsters are involved in social media influencers' hacking accounts to extract money from their friends and followers. They join the group in the name of celebrity influencers and seek financial aid from their followers.

They create a fake profile from the celebrity's stolen data, including profile pictures and personal details, and send friend requests to their followers. They seek help for multiple reasons like claiming a prize, charity, or emergencies.

Imposter scams are going around where they pretend to be someone you trust, and some friends fall into the trap and even agree to send money on the phone number in the messages. If you receive any such request asking for money – talk to someone you trust before transferring funds.

Some influencers have millions of followers. But, unfortunately, several such celebrities who are teenagers - 14 –or 17-year old – selling cryptocurrencies for a new brand find the plan converts into a pump-and-dump scheme.

In the current era of quick, easy money, inexperienced young buyers invest in the digital money boom driven towards fake crypto inflation marketed through misleading statements. Then, when the prices are high, the initial buyers withdraw their investments, causing the values to drop significantly. 

Schemes Adopted To Seek Favours

The crypto traders sometimes flash the cash, hide their faces and seek recruits. They give lucrative jobs to youngsters looking for easy digital cash. They offer a detailed list of customer details and a model to conduct online shopping or get / sanction loans in someone else's name.  

The government should find such vulnerabilities to track cybercrimes, and users should investigate the internet messages or marketing materials before accepting any request to buy or pay for services. You should know who the person/organisation is.

They may ask for funds for charity or social welfare– you should try to gain information about the person sending the request. Call them directly or message them about the requests through emails or another platform (email or phone).

The fraudsters engage in activities like sending texts on messaging software or their registered websites and sending notes on the client's behalf. They use strange words like fullz (used for selling personal banking details of people). Most targets are unaware that someone anonymous has acquired their banking/ credit card details and contact numbers.

There are various ways they sell illegal and harmful digital content. But, most such projects are based on unauthorised methods and are very difficult to track, mostly hidden behind the dark shadow. 

Never buy or send gift cards or debit card details to unidentified requests. Do not send your account details to the influencers; never use wire transfers, gift cards or prepaid debit cards.

You should always send money through methods where you can reverse the transactions if you suspect fraud. If you find anything suspicious, report it to the social media site and the regulatory agency. 

You should also be aware of fake influencer accounts with a high follower base that is not selling / marketing products or selling brands. Some conmen pretend to be established brands and offer the influencers to promote their products.

To avoid loss through such activities, you should be aware of the vulnerabilities of social platforms and should avoid disclosing valuable data.