Scams may occur in a number of forms, both online and offline. With better technology at their fingertips and a less stable economy in today's world, the number of criminal fraudsters has grown along with their creativity. According to the statistics, as of mid-2023, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) has received 744 reports of online fraud via Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, and email (SKMM).
In many of these social media, me, my friends and family members have also received various types of scams on social media. Among the ones I've had were on the Telegram and WhatsApp platforms where I was invited to an investment groups and job offers online that required my identity such as full name and my address need to be shared with the scammer if I want to take the offer.
Telegram
“Other people can comment but you can't.”
This is one of the scams that have spawned on Telegram social media. Scams on Telegram are usually in the form of investments where you will be invited to join a telegram group filled with many testimonial comments or profits received from investment results in order to attract and convince the victims. The victim account, however, is not permitted to post any comments in the group. If you wish to leave a comment, you must first contact the account owner and request permission to do so. That is a sign that you are a victim of an investment fraud.
Another tactic used is asking the victim to share screenshots of Telegram chats list with the excuse of wanting to see the username of their own account. If you are tricked and share a screenshot of your chat list, and there is your account log in code provided by Telegram on that screenshot, the scammer can easily access your Telegram account. When they can log in the code, it will be difficult for you to get your Telegram account back. It doesn't matter if it's a family member, friends or partner who makes such a request, never do it because their account may have been hacked by a scammer.
Scams on WhatsApp are usually made up of Ahlong, online employment agencies, and even those pretending to be from WhatsApp itself. After convincing you to accept the offer and deceiving you, the scammer will ask you for personal information and a verification number so that they can access all of your information. If someone gains access to your WhatsApp account, they may use your identity to request money from friends or family members in an emergency.
As for online job offers, they will pretend to be as HR for certain company and offer you a job online, such as liking and sharing YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok accounts. The victim will first be compensated if the target is met, but the scammer will then ask the victim to channel a particular amount of money to their company in exchange for a money-doubling offer. Although it appears to be a regular scam, but there have been many Malaysians who have been interested and accepted this job with the intention of being able to help their families.
Wedding invitation cards are the most recent scam tactic used by scammers. A scam syndicates allegedly invite victims to weddings by sending digital invitation cards using APK files that actually contain malware. Once the victim downloads the file, all personal data is received and they can easily access the victim's bank account.
Scammers are constantly looking for new ways to attract victims. So, we as social media users should be cautious, don't be quick to trust offers from unknown parties and think logically before accepting an offer online.
Emma Z. is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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