In just six years, TikTok has become the dominant social network for sharing and watching short videos, and it now boasts that people in the UK and US are spending more time on TikTok than YouTube. ESET warns that cybercriminals are very creative and always follow trends closely, even making predictions in front of the masses, allowing them to maximize the results of their technologies.
A few years ago, there were quite a few platforms that could be used to attack new victims without leaving much evidence. Scammers witnessed the growth of social media and soon started using different platforms to pull scams of all kinds. TikTok has more than 1.2 billion daily users. Moreover, in an app where people scroll minute by minute, even hour by hour, scams can easily take people by surprise and often result in the loss of their money, account or even impact on their reputation.
ESET shares 5 TikTok scams to watch out for:
1. Cryptocurrency and get-rich-quick scams: Scammers like to lure people with promises of big rewards for little effort. Cryptocurrencies have been up (and crashed) lately, so they tend to make a lot of noise in the online world and TikTok remains one of the preferred platforms for trying to scam people. These shows always sound too good to be true. It is important to stop and think for a few seconds before clicking or moving forward. Will Elon Musk Really Donate $1 Million to Random Strangers?
2. TikTok Phishing Messages: A TikTok scam email or message is a message that is sent randomly, like a typical phishing message, but with the hope that it will reach the user’s inbox/to from TikTok. These messages or emails can try to provide the verified account tag, more followers, or even sponsorship. Once the person receiving the message clicks on the link provided, they will be redirected to a site that asks for your TikTok login credentials. If the victim does not have two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled (which TikTok accounts don’t have by default), once this information is entered, the cybercriminals will take control of the account and can even block the original user.
3- TikTok bot accounts: There are still many TikTok accounts that have been programmed to interact with specific users and to make them believe they are communicating with a real person. Ultimately, these bots may ask victims for sensitive information or even suggest redirecting victims to a site that is, in fact, a scam site trying to steal information from them or install malware on their phones.
4. Fake apps promoted on TikTok: Fake accounts on TikTok sometimes promote apps available for download. The problem is that these apps are also fake. Some of these accounts will claim that certain paid apps can be downloaded for free from some third-party app stores. However, in an attempt to steal your information, these apps will install malware or adware on your device.
5. Fake celebrities: Some accounts may try to impersonate real celebrities. This is achieved simply by copying the content of a celebrity’s account. The goal is to get as many followers as possible, and before they are detected and reported, use the platform to promote more scams, such as crypto investment scams.
“While hacking someone’s TikiTok account can still be difficult without you being near their phone so you can spy on the victim’s screen over their shoulder, it is always good to remember how important it is to turn on two-factor authentication to protect our accounts. Enabling this extra protection helps keep our accounts safe. If cybercriminals can steal the reset code sent to your mobile phone, they will also need to send the code to your email address to access an account.” Comments Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya, Head of ESET Latin America Research Lab.
Like other platforms, ESET notes that TikTok will never contact you to ask for account details, password, unique access code, or any other verification method. Due to the sheer size of the platform, it is extremely important to be on the lookout for scammers, as there will likely be at some point a deceptive attempt to share personal information, usually via email or in-app messages. Finally, if you think you are dealing with a spam video or it is stealing people’s information, it is important to report it to TikTok immediately and stay away from any links associated with it.
Line. Central America and the Caribbean digital newspaper
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