BBB Warning About Scammers

BBB warning about scammers

Today, I’m gonna talk about a giant pain in the rear, Scammers. We’ve all gotten the ‘do you wanna buy car insurance’ calls through the years. But, scammers are getting more sophisticated as time goes on.

Now they are using social media to target us. But, this isn’t like the old days, when you get a friend request or a follower claiming that their account got hacked, will you re-friend them.

You receive an official looking email or direct message on Instagram, or any other social media platform. It says, ‘ You are in violation of the platform’s copyright terms. If you don’t fill out this form within 24 hours, your account will be deleted’. The message comes from an account that looks like an official social media team or even from the person you supposedly infringed on. But, it’s a trick.

Better Business Borough Warning

It has gotten so bad that the Better Business Borough has been warning it members about the scam. The scammers provide a link that sends you to a fake Login Page and repeatedly tell you that they cant or wont help until you fill out the form.

If you try to log in on the page, BAM, they have you. They take over your account, change your passwords and security questions and you are in for a fight. Its very common for people to use the same credentials on multiple sites, so you could be compromising your entire social media portfolio.

There are ways to avoid these outcomes. Whatever you do, don’t panic!

The scammers are banking on you being so upset that you do whatever they say to regain control. They will try to intimidate or threaten you.

What to do Next

Before you engage with them, log into your account a secured way and look into the violation. You can even look up the accounts that the scammers are claiming to be associated with. If you are still concerned, you can contact support for the targeted accounts and they can tell you if there are any pending issues and how to resolve them.

Familiarize yourself with your terms of service and how the platforms handle violations and disputes and you will know immediately if something looks suspicious.

Finally, report it. If they do something, say something. Report suspicious behaviors to your social media providers. You could be helping someone else too. Most platforms also have 2- factor authentication that can be enables to help protect your accounts from scammers.

If you have already made the mistake of engaging with them, its still not to late. They cant prove they are you. Report it to help or support and they can investigate. Most accounts have Geo tag info that will allow support to tell which you is the real you. They may have to close your accounts, but they will help transfer your information to the new accounts.

I hope this helps someone out there. Have a Blessed Day!