Social networks bring us closer but also make us more vulnerable. Fake profiles can be made in just five minutes and used to run scams that steal personal data. It can then take months to find out who created them.
This has happened a number of times already in 2020. A message circulated on WhatsApp announced that Walmart was giving away gift cards in celebration of its anniversary. A week later, another fake promotion was spread around, this time referring to the Adidas brand. Both companies confirmed that these were false and there are no such cards or royalties offered at this time.
Another case involved profiles posing as Pull & Bear and Ekono and claiming the stores were recruiting ambassadors for the brands. They offered free products in exchange for advertising for the companies on personal social networks.
These often have forms to fill out with personal data. If credit card numbers are given out then the cybercrime becomes an illicit economic crime.
Both the brands and victims should report these types of scams to the OIJ so that investigations can be started. People behind the phishing scams can be sent to prison for one to three years.
