scams & fraud

5 Ridiculous Scams On SnapChat

Snapchat” by AdamPrzezdziek is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Snapchat has quickly become one of the most prolifically used apps in the world, with nearly 300 million users active on the app each day. Unfortunately, this popularity has attracted a number of scammers to the app who are looking to exploit victims in any way that they can. While some of the scams are hard to spot right away, there are some scammers on Snapchat that are so ridiculous that it seems inconceivable that anyone still falls for their scams. Here are 5 of the most ridiculous scams on Snapchat.

Scam 1 – Check Cashing Scams

If someone is asking you to cash a check for them over a social media app, there is a really high chance they are attempting to scam you. Scammers on Snapchat pose as a friend and then ask for you to deposit a check from them electronically into your bank account and send them the money back through some type of money transfer service. The scam is that the check is fake but the money transfers are real, leading to the victim losing the money they transferred.

Scam 2 – Account Recovery Scams

Account recovery scams involve scammers on Snapchat imitating a friend and asking you to help them recover their account by providing them with your username and password. You should never give your account login information to anyone because that is the easiest way for them to take over your account. Once they have access to your account, they can use the account for nefarious purposes or hold it hostage for ransom.

Scam 3 – Pay To Make Money Scams

Scams that ask you to pay for the opportunity to make money are some of the most common scams on Snapchat today. With these scams, you are asked to pay a nominal fee by electronic transfer or wire transfer to unlock a great opportunity to make money. In many cases, these opportunities are presented as influencer sponsorships or advertising gigs. Once the money has been paid, the “opportunity” tends to disappear quickly.

Scam 4 – Phishing Scams

Phishing scams are some of the oldest scams on the internet. With these scams, scammers on Snapchat create fake messages to get you to disclose information about your account or personal information they can exploit. These messages tend to say that your account has been compromised or that you need to verify your identity by clicking a link to log into your account. Clicking the link leads to the scammers stealing your account information or installing malicious malware on your device.

Scam 5 – Contest Winner Scams

It is very unlikely that you will ever win a contest that you never entered, but scammers on Snapchat are betting that you will be so excited by a win that you will throw critical thinking out of the window. With these types of scams, the ultimate goal is to get you to disclose sensitive personal information, like your social security number or bank account information. The scammers may also ask you to pay the taxes on the winnings before you can receive your prize and both the prize and your money will disappear.

Conclusion

Knowing what to look for will help you avoid scammers on Snapchat and keep your personal information safe. Every day, scammers get more creative and come up with new ways to separate victims from their money. A good rule of thumb to remember is that if something seems like it is too good to be true, it is probably a scam.

+ posts

Leave a Comment