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📱 Social Media Traps

You’re not imagining it — the internet is getting a bit sketchy.
Between fake profiles, dodgy giveaways, and “look who viewed your story” clickbait, social media has become a scammer’s paradise.

🎭 The fake friend

Scammers clone real profiles, copy their photos, and send new friend requests.

Classic move

“Hey, I lost my old account — add me here.”
Same name, same photos, new account.
Ten minutes later they’re asking for money or personal info.

✅ Check before you click:
- Look for double-ups of existing friends.
- Scroll back — new profiles with no history are a giveaway.
- Ask the original person directly via another channel.

🎁 Giveaway traps

You comment to win a free BBQ, and suddenly you’re getting DMs from a “brand account” asking for payment details.
Real giveaways never ask for banking info.

Flagged tip

If a competition says “everyone’s a winner,” assume it’s not true — unless it’s at the local sausage sizzle.

📰 Clickbait and fake news

Social engineers love viral chaos.
A made-up “breaking” story spreads faster than any fact-check.

How to handle it: - Don’t share before checking the source.
- Google the headline — if it only appears on sketchy domains, bin it.
- Be wary of emotional headlines (“You won’t BELIEVE what happened!”).

📸 Oversharing = free intelligence

Every photo, post, or comment gives away something useful: - Holiday snaps → your house is empty.
- Gym selfies → your schedule.
- New job posts → your employer details.

Scammers piece this together like a jigsaw.

Flagged Warning

You don’t need to go full tinfoil-hat, but think twice before posting anything that could be used to impersonate you.

If a link looks off — even from a mate — message them first:

“Hey, did you actually send this?”

Nine times out of ten, they didn’t.

🎥 Watch & Learn

(Video: How social media scams trick even smart users.)

Next up: AI, Deepfakes & Cons