Also ad Avellino One of the most insidious and rapidly growing online scams has arrived: the promise of extra earnings for liking videos on YouTube. A scam well-crafted by cybercriminals with the aim of stealing personal information, bank account numbers and money. Our editorial team was contacted by chance by these scammers and we decided to pretend to be interested in discovering the mechanism of the scam and warn our readers.
How the scam works
The scam begins with the receipt of a message WhatsApp by a so-called recruiter from an unknown company. The message promises a cash reward for liking videos on YouTube. From there, the mechanism is divided into several steps, all designed to gain the victim’s trust and steal their money and personal data.
1. Initial contact: The first message invites you to participate in a promotional campaign on YouTube, promising compensation for liking videos.
2. Request for information: WhatsApp phone number, age, occupation, first name, last name and bank account number are requested.
3. Activity tests: The victim must like three videos and send screenshots as proof.
4. Signing up for Telegram: Next, the victim must download Telegram, subscribe to a channel, and receive a small payment to gain trust.
5. Program VIP: The victim is offered to enter a VIP program, where by investing money one can unlock daily activities with promised payouts between $21.66 and $1,083.
6. Final scam: After a few transactions, the victim becomes a VIP member. At this point, higher earnings are promised (e.g. “spend 100 dollars and receive 130 dollars”). However, after making a payment as a VIP, communications are cut off and the victim’s number is blocked.
Recognizing and Addressing Warning Signs
During our investigation, we noticed several signs that clearly indicate the scam:
– Grammatical and spelling errors: The messages received contained numerous grammatical and spelling errors.
– Refusal to talk on the phone: The scammers refused to provide company details or speak on the phone.
– Unrealistic promises: Promises of quick and easy earnings with little effort are always a warning sign.
Diffusion on social media and advice for defending oneself
This scam has also spread on various Facebook groups that promote teleworking or offers of advantageous remuneration for “likes” and subscriptions to YouTube channels.
Here are some practical tips to protect yourself from these scams:
1. Screenshots of conversations: Keep screenshots of chats and payment receipts.
2. Block contacts: Stop all further communication, block the user and leave the Telegram group/channel.
3. Account Protection: Make sure your online accounts are protected with strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication.
4. Beware of unsolicited correspondence: Monitor your accounts for suspicious activity.
5. Report and Complaint: Report the scam account to the social media platform, file a police report, and contact your bank.
6. Notify friends and family: Always inform friends and family about the scam.
Prevention: how to recognize fraudulent offers
When contacted on WhatsApp or any social media platform with such offers, it is important:
– Research the company: Check the legitimacy of the job advert and the company.
– Protect your personal data: Never share your banking details or other personal information with strangers.
– Avoid upfront payments: A legitimate company will never ask you to pay to receive work.
– Be wary of offers that are too good: Don’t trust job offers that seem incredibly advantageous and lucrative for little effort required.
– Report and Block: Report and block the number. Do not communicate with the person in question further.
With the increase in online scams, something needed to be done: the Cybersecurity Bill is now law
When we talk about scams, we are talking about one of the slimiest crimes that can be committed, since it exploits the vulnerability of people looking for work. Just on June 19, the Senate of the Republic definitively approved the government-initiated bill on strengthening national cybersecurity and computer crimes (already approved by the Chamber of Deputies on May 15). The text is made up of 24 articles, some of which include changes to the penal code and the code of criminal procedure, which introduce, among other changes, significant increases in penalties for crimes such as unauthorized access to a computer system (which, if committed by a public official, would be punished with imprisonment from two to ten years) or damage to information, data and computer programs (which, in the simple hypothesis, would be punished with imprisonment from two to six years and, in the aggravated hypothesis, with imprisonment from three to eight years).
More generally, the law aims to increase cybersecurity to defend against cyber attacks and introduces heavier penalties for online crimes, in particular scams. The provision has 24 articles and also introduces the obligation for public administrations to report cyber attacks to the Cybersecurity Agency within 24 hours and to appoint a security contact. Avellino Today, with this in-depth analysis, has tried to provide you with all the details of this deception and we hope that our advice can help the citizens of Avellino defend themselves from these pitfalls. Prevention and awareness are the best weapons against online scammers. We always keep our eyes open and report all illegal activities to the police.
