Due to TikTok‘s rapid rise in popularity, it has become yet another hub for scammers to dupe people online. We’ve seen a tremendous surge in fraud for the past few months, and a lot of people are getting victimized on the platform. If you are a TikTok creator or use it for your daily entertainment, then you should be aware of these five popular scams on TikTok.
TikTok Scams You Should Be Aware Of
1. Impersonating Celebrities
Lately, a lot of scammers have been found creating perfectly duplicate copies of the famous creator’s main account either by altering the username or by claiming to be the original’s backup account. In some cases, they’ve even managed to get the ‘verified’ badge, making it difficult for users to find the real one.
Initially, scammers gain followers by impersonating a famous creator. Later, they convert the account to their personal to enjoy the following and popularity gathered so far. So, make sure to check once while following any celebrity account.
2. Redirecting to Adult Dating Websites
Stolen pictures and videos of women from platforms like Instagram are used to lure people into adding Snapchat accounts. There, they are shown with videos related to nudity and enticed towards adult dating websites. Ultimately, the user visits these sites, which pay huge amounts to scammers who bring paying customers.
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- Courtesy: Tenable
Moreover, TikTok accounts have also been advertising premium Snapchat accounts that offer adult content. Many people fall into such traps and end up giving away money as well as their personal details, including credit card and bank account information.
3. Free Followers and Likes
In this type of scam, scammers take advantage of TikTok creators, especially youngsters who desire for likes and followers on their profile.
Users are drawn in the name of giving free likes and fan following. And then, they’re made to click links and download dubious apps that make money based on cost-per-install for the scammer.
4. TikTok Bots
Like other platforms, TikTok, too, is full of bot accounts that try to interact with users, just like a real person. These automated bots either direct you to shady websites to shell out your private information like phone numbers and bank information or infect your device with malware.
You should always be cautious while entertaining messages and comments from strangers. Watch out for the unusual phrases and do not reveal any private information or fulfill any demands.
5. Phishing Links
This is a common type of scam, prevalent on almost all social media platforms. If you have a TikTok account, then you may often get phishing emails or messages with the attached links.
These links may either redirect you to malicious sites or a fake TikTok landing page, which looks exactly like the official site. Entering your login credentials on such sites will give your login information to the scammers, and you are likely to lose your account.
So, stay careful the next time someone pitches you for sponsorship or offers something extra-ordinary that feels too good to be true. Also, ignore messages that claim to get you a verified badge or boost your popularity. If redirected to a website, always check the site URL and verify its security & legitimacy before entering any information.
Wrapping Up
So these were some of the popular TikTok scams that you should be aware of, be it as a creator or audience. Anyway, have you ever come across such types of fraud? Do let us know in the comments below. Also, feel free to reach out for any doubts or queries.
Also, read- Stop Anyone From Logging Into Your TikTok Account With Your Password
