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# Scammers switch strategy to steal thousands of dollars
- URL: https://www.techstories.co/scammers-switch-strategy-to-steal-thousands-of-dollars/
- Published: 2024-08-23T17:04:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-08-24T17:07:59.000Z
- Description: Now posing as your favourite social media influencers.
- Author: Paul Mah
- Tags: Cyber Security

Scammers are now posing as your favourite social media influencers.

Someone recently sent me screenshots of an Instagram user informing his followers that they had won a contest.

The contest was a scam.

**Variant of Singpost scam**

Here's what the scammer did.

- Pretends to be a popular influencer^.
- Runs a 'contest' and informs winners publicly.
- Winners must first register to claim their prize.
- Registration page is a variant of Singpost scam.

How does this scam work?

- Get winners to pay a small fee via credit card.
- Authentication SMS will show a different amount.
- Keying in the code makes victim liable for payment.

*^By misspelling the first letter as "l" instead of "i".*

![](https://www.techstories.co/content/images/2024/08/Scam1.jpeg)

![](https://www.techstories.co/content/images/2024/08/Scam2.jpeg)

**Legal liability to pay**

I had a friend who fell for the original Singpost scam a couple of years ago, via a text message.

The thing is, he was expecting a delivery and was grieving the recent passing of a close family member. He did not notice that the two-factor code specified a payment of €4,000.

When the dust settled and after investigation, the bank offered him an interest-free instalment since he did authorise the payment.

This is similar, but using social media to hijack the trust of a known influencer.

**What of this scammer?**

When I checked, the URL shown in the original screenshot no longer go to a payment page - it has been taken down.

I also cannot confirm if the person who allegedly paid is an accomplice or a victim. I hope it's the former.

This is a sombre reminder to stay alert at all times.

**Pandemic of scams**

I wrote last year that we are facing a pandemic of scams, and how even sophisticated, digital-savvy users can be victims.

Singapore is unfortunately the "scam capital" of the world, with scam victims here losing the most money on average, according to a global report last year.

Scammers are exploiting a mixture of human weaknesses, technological loopholes, and the slow pace of investigations to get away.

They attack human weaknesses by:

- Distraction.
- Convenience.
- Scare techniques.
- Greed and/or FOMO.

What steps do you personally take to keep from being snared by scams?