Image by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels
Scammers are putting actual work into their comments now — 3 tips for not falling for it.
For a solid month, I haven’t noticed a comment from a scammer, that is, ==until now.==
The catch is this, they’re actually personalizing their messages!
Screenshot from Author
Why the sudden change? Scammers are probably realizing that quick messages from a “big authors” don’t do it anymore, so they’re putting more effort into their writing====.
Most likely, they’re probably still copy/pasting their messages, but it was just interesting to see a longer & more friendly response than normal.
Screenshot edited by Author
After all, we need to remember that there are real people behind these accounts, even if they’re fake.
But even so, we need to spread awareness despite how genuine these comments become, for us to not fall into their community trap.
Nonetheless of how cunning their messages become, here are some top tips to keep in mind.
Using . between names
To keep the Medium spam bots from blocking their comments altogether, if they don’t say the exact words of the 2 largest social messages platforms (I’m scared to say it now), from my knowledge, they’ll stay out of the spam filter.
This is fortunate for us though, because puttin.g d.o.t.s between words looks really weird.==
Screenshot by Author
This has to be the most noticeable way of knowing they’re scammers.
Having @ and a different name than the Medium user
Say the person is Alex Mathis or Eve Arnold commenting on your post.
When you scroll down though… why is it @ JenniferFish9247?
These are most likely fictional names & not even close to the names of the scammers. Yet, why would we join a community of Alex Mathis if the community isn’t made by “Alex Mathis”?
This is another red flag that’s easy to make note of!
Screenshot from Author
The user has 0 followers & isn’t in the Partner Program
When you start noticing that something is fishy in their message, going to their social profile confirms it immediately.
If you only see a few followers & the user, who’s usually in the Partner Program but isn’t in it, then you know — that’s a scammer!
Screenshot from Author
Scammers are making fake accounts on the daily, so why would they expose themselves by linking their bank account to get into the Partner Program?
Even if we’ve heard these same warnings for months, we need to keep vigilant so we don’t give scammers a second thought!
These are things I’ve noticed all messages from scammers have, but nonetheless, keep these key points in mind:
- Never share financial or crypto info.
- Beware of using tele..gram & whats..app because they’re most used.
- Remember to check the credentials of someone & even do background checks per why you’re connecting with them.
The FDIC gives updates in their newsletter on new scams regularly, I would recommend signing up at the bottom of their website here!
Scams are a part of every crevice of the internet. It’s good to see that Medium has made efforts to clamp down on them, yet we need to keep aware so we can protect ourselves — nonetheless if a social platform does or doesn’t do anything about it.
If you want to help Medium in their efforts:
- Report the story as “spam” or “violates the rules”.
- Block the scammer.
That way, you won’t see the scammer pop up in your notifications again while Medium is banning them!
UPDATE
Ok guys… now they’re REALLY putting work into their comments. Just had this comment left on this very article (reported the comment, so you might not see it).
Screenshot from comments
Seeing them put effort into full paragraphs to pretend they’re a victim is seriously scary.
If you’re wanting a quick & fun scoop on knowing how scammers work, I recommend these creators.
***Links included Scammer Payback & best of all~ Kitboga.