Trending
The Maui News
AARP Hawaii and the AARP Fraud Watch Network are warning consumers about a variation of the "do me a favor" scam that leads to social media accounts being hijacked and friends being targeted as the next victims.
"We call these 'Do me a favor,' scams because it's a message or email from someone who appears to be a friend and they ask you to do something for them," said Craig Gima, AARP Hawaii Communications Director, in a news release last week. "You're less likely to be suspicious if you think it's a friend or family member and that's why the scam has been spreading."
It happened to Honolulu resident David Patterson, who said he received an Instagram message from a friend who asked for his help in becoming an online influencer ambassador. When Patterson replied to the message, he was asked to copy a message from Instagram and send it to them as verification that he had a real account.
What Patterson didn't realize was that his friend's account had been hijacked and the code he sent the scammers enabled them to take over his account. The scammers then began messaging Patterson's friends asking them to make him an online influencer ambassador, trying to duplicate the scam with his friends.
When the scammers hijacked his account, they also locked Patterson out of Instagram, and it took him about two weeks to regain control of his own account and stop the scammers from soliciting his friends.
In another variation on the scam, people have reported getting emails or messages from their boss asking them to buy gift cards for a client, and they end up losing the money they spent when they give the scammers the gift card information.
"Do me a favor" scammers have also tried to get people to buy or invest in cryptocurrency or foreign exchange in an effort to steal money.
To prevent social media scams, the AARP Fraud Watch Network recommends:
• Getting two-factor authentication for social media accounts.
• Listening to your instincts and keeping an eye on suspicious activity, even if it is a family member or friend.
• Looking carefully at email addresses and friend requests to make sure they are accurate and not just a letter or two different.
• Calling the person contacting you and asking them if the request is real.
An urgent request to do something now before you get a chance to think is a red flag, and requests to buy gift cards for payment is another sign of a fraud, AARP said.
For more information on how to fight back against scams, visit aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.
To report a suspected scam, call the AARP Fraud Watch Network helpline at (877) 908-3360.
To find out about scams being reported nearby, visit the AARP Scam Tracker Map at aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/tracking-map/.