Social media scams: Types, examples, and prevention

Common types of social media scams

Social media scams come in many forms. Each scam has its own unique approach, but they all have one common goal. Below, we explore the most common types of social media scams and how they work.

Phishing links and direct message scams

Phishing is one of the most prevalent scams on social media. Scammers use various tactics to lure people into clicking on harmful links. These links might appear in private messages, fake posts, comments, or even ads pretending to be from trusted companies. They often look legitimate because they use logos and names that seem real to trick you into believing they are safe.

Once you click on a phishing link, it may ask for sensitive details like your login credentials or bank account information. In many cases, it can also infect your device with malware, giving scammers access to your personal data. (For more details about malware downloads, check the drive-by download scams section).

Social media platforms, particularly Instagram, have experienced a significant rise in phishing attempts. Many of these scams involve fraudsters impersonating legitimate businesses or accounts to steal personal information. Among the various Instagram scams, phishing remains one of the most common tactics used by scammers. (For more details, check case study #3)

Fake profiles and impersonation scams

Scammers often create fake profiles using stolen photos and fake information to impersonate celebrities, real people, or businesses. They might pretend to be a trusted friend, a family member, a helpful company representative, or a famous public figure.

These profiles often look real, using convincing pictures and details to gain your trust. Once they gain your trust, they ask for personal information, money, or access to your accounts.

Sometimes they try to trick you into investing in fake opportunities or donating to fake causes. These fake profiles are designed to look authentic, which makes it easy to fall for their scams if you're not careful.

Online shopping scams

Shopping scams take advantage of people’s trust in popular platforms by promoting deals that seem too good to be true. Scammers use fake profiles or fake business pages to post attractive ads on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

These ads often showcase counterfeit products, items that don’t exist, or even heavily discounted products from legitimate brands to lure shoppers with unbelievably low prices. When you click on these ads, you are often redirected to fake online stores designed to steal your money or personal information.

These scams can be hard to spot because the ads and websites often look professional and authentic, mimicking legitimate brands. Once you make a purchase, the item either never arrives or you receive a cheap, low-quality product that is nothing like what was advertised. 

To protect yourself, check out detailed guides on identifying and avoiding common tricks, such as Temu scams, Amazon scams, and eBay scams.

Fake giveaways and contest scams

Scammers use fake giveaways and contests to make you believe you’ve won something exciting, like cash, gadgets, or luxury items. They grab your attention with flashy ads, posts, or messages that claim you're a lucky winner.

To claim your prize, they may ask you to complete a survey, in which you will be asked to provide private information like your address, phone number, or credit card details. In some cases, they trick you into paying a small processing fee or shipping cost.

But the scam usually doesn’t end there — sometimes, these fake contests ask you to click on suspicious links, which can install malware on your device or steal your login credentials. These scams often impersonate well-known brands or influencers to appear credible, making it even harder to spot the deception.

Romance and catfishing scams

Romance scams, also known as online dating scams, are among the cruelest forms of fraud on social media. These scams prey on emotions because fraudsters pretend to be love interests to manipulate you. They create convincing personas, often claiming to be professionals like doctors, military personnel, or aid workers stationed abroad.

These scammers build trust over time, engaging you in heartfelt conversations to create the illusion of a genuine relationship. Once they gain your trust, they strike with emotional pleas. They may claim to be facing an emergency, like needing money for medical bills, travel expenses, or legal fees, and pressure the target to send funds.

In cases like military romance scams, scammers often use photos stolen from real people stationed abroad to make their profiles seem authentic. Unfortunately, these schemes don’t just result in financial loss — victims often suffer deep emotional pain, feeling betrayed and heartbroken when they discover the relationship was never real.

Investment and cryptocurrency scams

Investment and cryptocurrency scams are rampant on social media. They target you with the promise of easy money and massive returns. Scammers often claim to have exclusive investment opportunities, such as doubling your money in days or offering risk-free earnings through cryptocurrency trading.

Scammers use fake success stories, screenshots of profits, and endorsements from impersonated celebrities to make their schemes look legitimate. Once they gain your trust, they convince you to send money to fraudulent accounts or invest in fake trading platforms. Some scammers even show small, fake returns initially to lure victims into sending larger amounts.

Job and employment scams

Job and employment scams target job seekers by exploiting their desire for new opportunities and financial stability. Scammers post fake job ads on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn, promising high-paying positions with flexible hours and little to no qualifications required.

They often create fake company pages or impersonate real companies to appear trustworthy. Some scammers even reach out directly through private messages, claiming to have noticed your profile or resume and offering you an exclusive job opportunity.

Once they gain your interest, they quickly ask for upfront payments to cover supposed training materials, equipment, or administrative fees. In other cases, scammers might request sensitive personal details, like Social Security numbers or banking information, claiming they need them to set up direct deposit or a payroll account. These tactics not only steal your money but also put you at risk of identity theft.

On social media, these scams often appear in paid ads or posts shared in groups for job seekers. Fake recruiters may apply pressure by offering limited-time opportunities or insisting on secrecy to rush you into agreeing without asking questions.

Quizzes, surveys, and personality test scams

Quizzes, surveys, and personality tests on social media often appear fun and innocent. They promise to reveal exciting results, like “Which celebrity do you look like?” or “What’s your spirit animal?” But behind these seemingly harmless activities, scammers are collecting personal information to use against you.

These quizzes often ask subtle but revealing questions, such as your first pet’s name, your mother’s maiden name, or the name of your hometown. While these may feel like harmless details, scammers use this data to guess answers to common security questions and gain access to your online accounts.

Drive-by download scams

Scammers are using social media to spread malware through drive-by download attacks, where simply clicking on a malicious link can silently install harmful programs onto your device without your knowledge. These links are often disguised as harmless or tempting content, such as a funny video, a trending meme, or an urgent message claiming “You’re in this video! Check it out!”

Once you click the link, the malware begins downloading automatically in the background. It can steal personal information like passwords or credit card numbers, monitor your activity, and even give scammers full access to your device. Some types of malware, such as ransomware, go a step further by locking your files and demanding payment to unlock them.

Scammers often target users in comments, public posts, or private messages on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They will sometimes impersonate friends or well-known brands to make their links more convincing.

Money flipping or pyramid schemes 

On social media, scammers often promote money flipping or pyramid schemes, claiming you can turn a small investment into massive returns in no time. They use flashy posts or private messages to lure victims, boasting fake success stories, doctored screenshots of payouts, and promises of guaranteed profits. The offers sound too good to be true because they are.

In money-flipping scams, a scammer might ask you to send $100, promising to "flip" it into $1,000 or more within hours. Once you've sent the money, they either disappear or keep stringing you along, asking for even more money to complete the process.

Pyramid schemes operate slightly differently but involve the same level of deceit. Scammers ask you to pay an initial fee to join an exclusive money-making club. They then encourage you to recruit others, claiming you’ll earn a portion of what new recruits pay. In reality, the money only circulates among participants, leaving most people at the bottom with nothing.

Real-life social media scam examples

Let’s explore three real-life cases that highlight the extent and impact of social media scams.

Case study #1: Chase restricts Zelle payments originating from social media to combat scams 

In March 2025, Chase took a bold step to tackle fraud by blocking or delaying Zelle payments linked to social media. This decision came after reports showed that nearly 50% of Zelle scams originated from social media platforms during the latter half of 2024 (Chase, 2025).

Case study #2: French woman lost €830,000 in a Brad Pitt impersonation scam

A French interior designer, identified as Anne, 53, lost €830,000 ($855,000) to a scammer posing as Brad Pitt. The scam began in February 2023 when someone claiming to be Pitt’s mother messaged her, followed by another account pretending to be Pitt himself. The scammer used fake social media profiles, WhatsApp messages, and AI-generated photos to trick Anne into believing she was in a romantic relationship with the actor.

The scammer claimed Pitt needed money for cancer treatment, saying his accounts were frozen due to his divorce with Angelina Jolie. To make the story believable, the scammer sent fake photos of Pitt in a hospital. Over 18 months, Anne sent hundreds of thousands of euros to the scammer before realizing the truth (The Guardian, 2025).

Case study #3: Meta phishing scam targeted Instagram business accounts

In March 2025, the Cofense Phishing Defense Center (PDC) discovered a new Instagram phishing campaign that targeted Meta users. This campaign specifically aimed to gain access to Instagram business accounts by deceiving users with fake login requests.

Scammers sent emails claiming users had violated advertising policies or copyright laws, alarming victims with subject lines like "Your ads are temporarily suspended." The emails urged users to click a "Check more details" button, which led to a fake Meta Business page, where victims were asked to provide personal information, screenshots of their business accounts, and login credentials (Cofense, 2025).

What are the signs of social media scams?

Social media scams can be subtle but often exhibit tell-tale signs that, when recognized early, can save you from falling victim. Scammers rely on tricks such as fake urgency, enticing offers, and phishing attempts to lure unsuspecting users. Key warning signs to watch out for include:

• Unsolicited messages. Random messages from strangers asking for sensitive personal or financial information should raise red flags.

• Suspicious links. Beware of links that redirect you to unfamiliar or unsecure websites asking for your personal details or login credentials.

• Requests for money or personal info. Scammers commonly ask for immediate payments, credit card information, or confidential data without a valid justification.

• Fake profiles. Look out for new or duplicate profiles with minimal activity, no or barely any friends or followers, or stolen photos, which fraudsters often use to disguise themselves.

• Low prices or unrealistic deals. Offers that seem too good to be true often are. Be cautious of massive discounts or exclusive limited-time deals.

• Urgent language. Scammers frequently use phrases such as "Act now" or "This offer expires in 10 minutes" to create a sense of urgency.

• Poor grammar. Scammers often send messages riddled with spelling or grammar errors, which makes their communications appear unprofessional and suspicious.

• Requests to move the conversation off-platform. If someone demands that you switch to email, phone calls, or a private messaging app like WhatsApp or Telegram, they are likely trying to avoid being tracked or reported on the social media platform.

How to avoid scams on social media

Scammers are always on the lookout for their next target, but by following the tips below, you can protect yourself on social networking sites and reduce the risk of falling victim to malicious schemes.

• Adjust your privacy settings. Regularly review your privacy settings to control who can see your posts and personal information. Limit your interactions to only the people you know and trust.
• Create strong, unique passwords. Use a different password for each online account to prevent hackers from accessing multiple platforms if one password is compromised. A password manager like NordPass can help you securely store and manage complex passwords.
• Enable Threat Protection Pro™. This advanced tool can block malware, phishing attempts, trackers, and ads, and keep your social media experience safer and more secure.
• Don't trust unsolicited messages, requests, or links. Be cautious of direct messages or comments from strangers — especially if they include links or ask for sensitive information. Scammers often use urgency or emotional manipulation to push you into acting quickly.
• Verify profiles that connect with you. Only accept friend requests from people you know and have met in real life. Before interacting with a new profile, check for warning signs like a recent account creation date, very few followers, repetitive posts, or no posts at all.

What to do if you’ve been scammed on social media

Falling victim to a scam on social media can be stressful, but acting swiftly can help limit the damage and protect your information.

1. 1.Report the scam. Start by using Instagram’s built-in tools to report phishing or fake accounts directly on the platform. Then report the cybercrime to the appropriate authorities: the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the US, or Action Fraud in the UK.
2. 2.Stop all contact with the scammer. Once you have reported the scammer’s account, block it.
3. 3.Secure your accounts. Change the passwords for all of your social media, email, and online accounts, especially those related to the scam. Enable 2FA (two-factor authentication) to add an extra layer of security.
4. 4.Contact your bank or payment provider. Act immediately if you shared bank details or sent money. Call your financial institution to dispute unauthorized charges, request chargebacks, and cancel any compromised credit cards or payment accounts.
5. 5.Monitor identity theft. Keep an eye on your credit and financial statements for any unusual activity if you shared personal information. Place a fraud alert on your credit report or freeze your credit to protect against misuse. Consider using an identity theft protection service to protect your information and take proactive steps to prevent further issues.
6. 6.Keep evidence. Take screenshots of scam messages, profiles, transactions, and receipts. Having clear and organized proof helps you report the scam, dispute payments, and protect yourself from similar incidents in the future.

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