ONLINE FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Recognizing and Avoiding ‘Social Media Scams and Hoaxes’

Author: Ariik Robert and Bida Emmanuel

Online scams are becoming more prevalent, it is essential to check whether the information you see online is legitimate. Are you always cautious about content obtained online? 

The growth of digital technology globally has led to the emergence of various online platforms which are used as channels for information and interaction, but as more people get online, cases of digital fraud on rise. 

Such events are attributed by technological experts to mostly low internet literacy, among other factors. 

Over the past few months, 211 Check has identified a number of scam related institutions offering scholarships, loans, grants and giveaways using names of prominent individuals, businesses, and organizations on social media.

Continued reports we received show that frauders are using social media to find new and unsuspecting victims in South Sudan.

Our investigation states that hundreds if not thousands of South Sudanese netizens  may have been exposed to fraud/scams on the various social media platforms. 

Most scammers lure the online users with the extortion of money in appeals for elites support, especially the politicians. These scams trick users into thinking that they are interacting with legitimate entities online, and by the time they discover the fraud, it is often too late.

Scammers craft these fake offers and use them to prey on unsuspecting individuals using fake FB or Twitter accounts to defraud them of money, increase their website clicks for monetary gain, or steal personal information. 

These scams mix some truth with false information and use this to manipulate legitimate content to increase their visibility and reach, making some hoaxes difficult to spot.

Well, how can you avoid being conned? Here are some important things to look out for in order to avoid  being scammed. 

Poorly written posts

Many scams are produced in a hurry, and they often contain spelling and grammatical mistakes asking you to take certain actions. While errors may result from scammers having a poor command of the language, most mistakes are intentional and strategic.

The organizations that these scammers impersonate often have social media teams whose jobs are to carefully craft messages before they go online, perhaps it is unlikely that these errors would pass internal scrutiny before being published.

It is possible that these errors are inserted to dissuade those likely to spot them and report the scam, therefore this could be a strategy to isolate those who are less keen and more gullible, and who are more likely to fall prey to the scam.

One such indicator is; posts that are written in all capital letters and that have a lot of exclamation points.

An example of a post with grammatical errors

Posts that ask users to share content with friends to win

Some posts claiming to offer gift cards or shopping vouchers from popular stores or retail chains circulating on social media contain a link to a page that asks users to share the post with their friends and contacts as one step towards winning whatever prize is on offer.

Clicking on the link often redirects you to a site that requires users to give personal information, in order to claim winnings. The information requested varies from the name and phone number; to asking for payments via mobile money in order for their information to be processed.

Despite fulfilling the conditions asked to get the giveaway, another step is sometimes required: the user is asked to share the message with their WhatsApp contacts, or on Facebook groups, widening the net of potential victims to be scammed.

This asks the user to share with 20 others as a condition to receive gifts

Needless to say, no gift is forthcoming even after the post has been shared with contacts. Instead, the last step may lead to a new link, which tries to obtain additional data from the user.

Please, always avoid such posts, they are scams related and may jeopardize your account. 

Free Scholarship that is guarantee and only requests  for your personal information

Scholarships are generally given to students with high-quality academic records, nothing in life comes easy, and thus there is no free or guaranteed scholarship. 

But the scammers instead use that trap to collect your personal datas like email, date of birth, credit card number, and passwords which theylater use to commit identity theft to later commit crimes online using your identity. 

Others will even impersonate you and then start asking for money or loans from people close to you using your identity.

A text  from a scammer requesting for personal information to send a victim money for scholarship 

Posts that ask for money to facilitate a process

Scams that directly ask for money are the easiest to spot. This is common in job and scholarship scams, where applicants are asked to pay a fee, termed as processing, application, or registration fee, to be considered for the job or the scholarship.

The payments are usually required through a mobile money transfer app or bank, which is most commonly used in South Sudan and neighboring countries. However, the fee is sent to a personal number — often described as an official at the entity in question, such as the human resource manager — and not to the company’s legitimate bank account or mobile money pay bill.

Screenshot of a WhatsApp message from a scammer suggesting payment methods

The fee at times is relatively small but various with financial status, usually about US Dollars 50 to US Dollars 200 – an amount can translate to a hefty sum for the scammers should they succeed in fooling a large number of people.

Genuine job advertisements, grants, scholarships, and giveaways from legitimate companies do not require a fee to be paid, and being asked to pay upfront is a clear sign that something is fishy. 

Even the global UN agencies don’t ask for a job application fee. Be always careful with such. 

Posts that direct to an unrelated website

Some scams use the name of a real company, going as far as setting up a social media page or website using the name of the company.

One common tactic is the use of Google forms, which are quick and easy to set up, and can be made to look official and legitimate. These are popular with the job and scholarship scams, and grants used to steal people’s personal information.

Screenshot of a misleading grant application google form taken on July 29, 2020

In other instances, scammers make false offers to lure users to websites that earn advertising revenue for their owners. This could be a Facebook post advertising a flash sale at an appliance store. However, the link on the post does not direct to the official website of the store in question, but instead leads to a basic-looking website, usually running on a basic content management system, such as a WordPress site with the colors customized to imitate the brand in question.

In addition, scammers also use recognized brands to promote fake prizes and giveaways, with a social media page that has the name of the entity which looks very similar to the brand they claim to represent but with slight variation.

On June 30, 2020, a Facebook page called “South Sudan ministry of finance and planning” claimed that the South Sudanese government is handing out grants worth $41.4 million to entrepreneurs and farmers as part of an economic development program that aims to promote local investment.

“Applicants MUST be South Sudanese citizens aged between 23-57 years,” the post adds.

Screenshot of a fake Facebook post taken on July 28, 2020

Whenever you click a link on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or WhatsApp, be sure to check whether the URL or web address matches that of the company named in the posts. 

NOTE: Some legitimate pages use link-shortening services such as Bitly that are not immediately recognizable as a spoof.

Many scams tend to focus on brands that may not have a website. The case of the Ministry of Finance and Planning, for example, which does not have a dedicated website where users can get more information on its activities, making it easier for fraudsters to hijack their brand image using a convincing domain and website or even a mere social media account.

Giveaway scams also tend to focus on people’s perceived needs. 211 Check looked into a number of scams offering fully-funded scholarships, also asking applicants to pay an application fee.

In this instance, the website offering scholarships does not identify the charities behind “fully funded” scholarships, and instead focuses on the application process for the free tanks. These scams are very tricky, be always vigilant!

Impersonation

Impersonation can be defined as pretending to be somebody else. 

It is used when someone tries to look and sound like another person, as much as possible. This greatly occurs to popular public officials. 

Fake Tourist

Under this guise, a person sends an unsuspecting individual a text expressing willingness to visit the country in which they live and appeals for their email as an official way of communication. This a move to trick the victims into thinking that the scammers are legitimate people who want to strike an official deal. 

In most cases, this turns out to be a negative experience for the victims as the [scammer] lures them into gaining their trust as the currency of the transaction. With this, the predator uses the connection established to ask for favors.

A messenger text from a scammer

Promotions or competitions shared on recently created pages or websites

Some hoaxes are shared through posts that advertise a promotion or competition, with details on how to enter and win prizes.

Before clicking on any links from the page, check to see when the page was set up and whether there are other posts on the page.

A genuine page from a major brand will have multiple posts, a small fraction of which might be promotions, and these often do not contain major, expensive giveaways. Often one-off giveaway pages will have been set up within the past month.

To identify the gaps, take a look at the date of the oldest post. Fraudulent posts are often shared on accounts that have recently been set up, sometimes just days before or even on the same day the scam was published. 

Conversely, major brands often have an extensive social media footprint, and their online pages and accounts have a lot of published posts.

Scammers may use a brand name and logo to advertise a campaign that asks users to like and share the competition to enter. Always check on the company’s legitimate website or social media accounts to verify whether the same competition or campaign has been posted there.

Fake Samsung page using engagement bait to boost the visibility and reach of the page

Conclusion:

Online scams and hoaxes are a common occurrence in our digital lives. They can be spreaded in multiple ways including email, social media, phone calls, or text messages. 

Spotting a scam quickly will keep your personal data safe, save your time and protect you against fraud. 

At first, these posts seem pretty harmless, but by clicking the ‘Like’ button, scammers may be able to see the information they might not have been able to see before, such as your phone number and location. 

Once you click on a scam advert or message, you and your connections are more likely to be targeted with similar fraudulent material as the scammers now have your information.

Lastly, always run titles through a search engine before engaging in any online campaign. Chances are that fakes will have been reported by other users and can be found easily enough.

The golden rule is, if something about the content does not sound right, it probably is not. If you suspect something, reach out to the brand in question. They often have multiple recognized channels for engagement, and they also tend to be very responsive to customer queries. If in doubt, ask.

Scams succeed because they look like the real thing and catch you off guard when you’re not expecting it. Scammers are getting smarter and taking advantage of new technology, new products or services, and major events to create believable stories that will convince you to give them your money or personal details. 

Protect yourself

Be alert to the fact that scams exist. When dealing with uninvited contacts from people or businesses, whether it’s over the phone, by mail, email, in person, or on a social networking site, always consider the possibility that the approach may be a scam. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Know who you’re dealing with: If you’ve only ever met someone online or are unsure of the legitimacy of a business, take some time to do a bit more research. Do a Google image search on photos or search the internet for others who may have had dealings with them. 

If a message or email comes from a friend and it seems unusual or out of character for them, contact your friend directly to check that it was really them that sent it.

Do not open suspicious texts, pop-up windows, or click on links or attachments in emails – delete them: If unsure, verify the identity of the contact through an independent source such as a phone book or online search. Don’t use the contact details provided in the message sent to you.

Keep your personal details secure: Put a lock on your mailbox and shred your bills and other important documents before throwing them out. Keep your passwords and pin numbers in a safe place. 

Be very careful about how much personal information you share on social media sites. Scammers can use your information and pictures to create a fake identity or to target you with a scam.

Keep your mobile devices and computers secure: Always use password protection, don’t share access with others (including remotely), update security software, and backup content. 

Protect your WiFi network with a password and avoid using public computers or WiFi hotspots to access online banking or provide personal information.

Research about the scholarship you are applying for: Make sure you make do some research about the scholarship, who is funding it, who is eligible to apply because some of these scholarships that are being offered by scammers lack full details.

Choose your passwords carefully: Choose passwords that would be difficult for others to guess and update them regularly. A strong password should include a mix of upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. Don’t use the same password for every account/profile, and don’t share your passwords with anyone.

Review your privacy and security settings on social media: If you use social networking sites, such as Facebook, be careful who you connect with and learn how to use your privacy and security settings to ensure you stay safe.  If you recognize suspicious behavior, clicked on spam, or have been scammed online, take steps to secure your account and be sure to report it.

Beware of any requests for your details or money: Never send money or give credit card details, online account details, or copies of personal documents to anyone you don’t know or trust. Don’t agree to transfer money or goods for someone else: money laundering is a criminal offense.

About the Authors: 211 Check is a fact-checking and information verification organization established to counter misinformation, hate speech and incitement to violence, while South Sudan Safety Comm is an online community/platform that provides tools, methodologies and resources on online safety of social media users and digital natives.

Visit 211check.org [web, Facebook and Twitter] or Safety Comm South Sudan [https://safetycomm.org/, Facebook and Twitter] to learn more about fact checking, online safety, information verification, among others.

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