My Encounter with a Social Media Scam
Recently, I encountered a scam on social media that really opened my eyes to how easy it is to be deceived online. It came in the form of a “limited-time giveaway” post claiming that a popular tech company was offering free smartphones to the first 100 people who clicked a link and filled out a survey. At first glance, it looked legitimate—the post had a professional-looking image, the company’s logo, and even fake “testimonials” from other users. The Purpose of the Scam The goal of this scam was clear in hindsight: the scammers were trying to collect personal information and potentially steal money. By encouraging users to enter their name, email, phone number, and even credit card details “for verification,” they were able to harvest data that could be sold…