truffa mi piace

A like on IG to earn money and instead they steal money: what it is and how to protect yourself from the “Like” scam

A new online scam is back in the spotlight after the Provincial Command of the Carabinieri of Parma raised the alarm with the aim of making citizens aware of its danger: it is the “Like” scamwhich exploits thesocial engineering to steal money after soliciting via instant messaging platforms and requesting likes on social platforms such as Instagram in exchange for the promise of financial gain.

The scam starts with a seemingly innocuous message, often sent via WhatsAppby a fake recruiter who promises earnings in exchange for simple clicks on videos or social content. However, behind this facade are attempts to extort sensitive data and money from victims. The mechanism is subtle: initially you are asked to like content, promising small rewards. After having gained the user’s trust by actually crediting small sums to their victims, the scammers push them to sign up to messaging channels or make economic investments, which in reality only serve to steal money.

To defend yourself, you must first understand these dynamics and not follow the instructions of cybercriminals, remembering that even online, as in “real” life, no one gives anything to anyone.

How the “Like” scam works

In explaining How the “Like” scam worksthe press release issued by Provincial Command of the Carabinieri of Parma tells of what happened to a woman from Rome, who was convinced to participate in this scheme, starting with small payments that were repaid with interest in her favor (at least apparently). However, when she was asked for a larger transfer, communication with the scammers stopped and the victim lost the invested money. In telling the story, the Carabinieri expressed themselves in these terms:

The victim joined the initiative proposed to her by one of these phantom recruiters and opened a profile on a famous messaging platform. From there he began to distribute “likes” according to the instructions he gradually received, receiving very small sums of money. Having gained the woman’s trust, she was asked to make some bank transfers, also in this case for a few tens of euros, which were refunded to her, with a small increase. This went on like this for a while, until the victim made a bank transfer of 500 euros, to “complete the mission” without receiving any further news on the matter, much less any increased reimbursement. After several attempts to contact the beneficiary, all of which obviously failed, the woman realized she had been scammed and filed a report with the Carabinieri.

This scheme is based on the so-called social engineering. In other words, victims are deluded by small initial gains, which the bad guys use to gain their trust. Once obtained, the bad guys push their victims to give them relatively large sums of money and at that point they disappear into thin air.

As highlighted by the story of the woman resident in Rome, the scam develops gradually, often also involving the installation of apps or participation in messaging channels (such as Telegram), where victims are led to believe that with a small investment they can obtain high profits.

How to protect yourself from the “Like” scam

What needs to be done for protect yourself from the “Like” scam? The advice that can be read between the lines of the press release released by the military is clear: always be wary of those who offer easy earnings through unverified or unknown contacts, especially if these take place via online channels or messaging apps.

If you find yourself faced with similar situations, never provide personal or banking data to unknown parties. Scammers aim to extort valuable information such as your phone number, bank details or even identity documents. Even the simple fact of subscribing to certain channels or messaging groups can expose you to further risks, so we invite you to stay away from such “dangerous virtual places”. And if you are offered earnings of any amount through banal actions (for example watching videos or liking), be wary because you are surely faced with a scam attempt.