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Everything you need to know to protect yourself from Snapchat scams
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Snapchat is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family—but if you're not careful, you could also fall victim to a scam. The scams on Snapchat tend to follow the same formula as scams on other social media platforms, and the best way to deal with a scammer is to block the account and report it to the platform. Read on for more details on the different types of Snapchat scams, the best ways to respond to scammers, and how to protect your account.
Steps
Section 1 of 3:
10 Common Snapchat Scams
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Romance scams These scams start when you're approached by someone who claims to be falling in love with you. At first, they'll constantly flatter you and it might seem amazing that this person could really feel the way they do. Eventually, though, they'll start asking you for money, because that's all they were ever really after. [1] X Trustworthy Source Federal Trade Commission Independent U.S. government agency focused on consumer protection Go to source
- Signs: says "I love you" after having only talked to you for a few days or even hours; always has excuses to not go live; stories don't add up; asks for gift cards or cryptocurrency
- How to Respond: Report and block the account. Cut off the "relationship" if you feel like you need to and move on.
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Sugar momma/sugar daddy scams With these scams, the scammer poses as a wealthy older man or woman and claims that they're very lonely and are willing to pay you a large sum of money simply to pay attention to them. They'll likely make it seem like they only need you to send a few messages a day so it's not that big of a deal. Ultimately, though, the only thing they really want is access to your bank account so they can deplete it. [2] X Research source
- Signs: asks for money upfront to cover fees or other charges; claims they'll pay exorbitant amounts of money for basically nothing; usually avoids going live; sends money and then asks for part of it back
- How to Respond: Report and block the account. If you paid the person any money or gave them any payment information, contact your bank.
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Imposter scams The scammer pretends to be somebody you know—they can use information from the person's posts on social media to mimic them. Then, the scammer will typically ask you for money. They might also pretend to be a famous person, then target that person's fans. [3] X Trustworthy Source Federal Trade Commission Independent U.S. government agency focused on consumer protection Go to source
- Signs: new account; asks for money immediately; won't do anything to verify they are who they say they are
- How to Respond: Report and block the account. If the scammer was pretending to be someone you know, reach out to them and let them know it happened. You might also reach out to mutual contacts. If the scammer was pretending to be someone famous, you might post something to alert other fans to be on the lookout.
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Meet-up scams The scammer reaches out to you and claims to live in the same city or region. They might chat with you, but their ultimate goal is to convince you to meet up with them. Once you agree to a meetup, the scammer will have car trouble or some other urgent thing pop up that they need money to take care of. They might repeat this ruse several times but they'll never actually meet up with you (they might not even be local). These scams are often tied into a romance scam, but the scammer might also claim to be a photographer, talent scout, or just someone new in town who wants you to show them around. [4] X Trustworthy Source Federal Trade Commission Website with up-to-date information for consumers from the Federal Trade Commisson Go to source
- Signs: Keeps plans to meet up loose or vague; claims to be local but doesn't recognize famous local landmarks; grammar or word usage is slightly off despite claiming to be a native speaker
- How to Respond: Report and block the account. If the person claimed to be local, file a report with local law enforcement (but keep in mind they might not be local at all).
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Snapchat Premium scams The scammer sends you a message offering sexually explicit material if you sign up for a "premium" account and pay a monthly subscription fee. The scammer might even require you to pay a larger fee upfront. Usually, all they need is your payment information and they can initiate multiple payments from the card or account you provided. [5] X Trustworthy Source State of Massachusetts Official website for the State of Massachusetts Go to source
- Signs: low subscription fees; usually promises adult content; typically requests payment information immediately after connecting accounts
- How to Respond: Report and block the account. If you entered payment information, contact your bank or credit card company.
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Employment or investment scams These scammers typically reach out to you if it seems like you'd be interested in employment or investment opportunities. These opportunities are only designed to get you to provide private information, payment information, or both. Cryptocurrency is a favorite among investment scams. [6] X Research source
- Signs: makes offer of opportunity out of the blue; claims job pays extremely well with relatively few responsibilities; requires initial investment which is usually a small amount
- How to Respond: Report and block the account. There's no need to engage any further, but you might warn your other friends about it, especially if it seems like they're contacting people in your circle.
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Charity scams The scammer pretends to be associated with a well-known charity and claims to be collecting donations—often for a special drive that includes prizes for different levels of donation. They'll tell you that you can only donate in a certain way or through their link—where the money is going directly to the scammer. [7] X Research source
- Signs: links to an unofficial website; talks about a charity drive not discussed on the charity's official website; opened account recently and hasn't verified it
- How to Respond: Report and block the account. You might also want to file a report with consumer protection agencies or other law enforcement agencies, especially if the scammer is impersonating an established charity.
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Fake contest scams The scammer claims to be running a contest for a really popular product, something that's expensive or always in demand, such as a computer or video game system. There might be a low entry fee, but usually this scam is just about getting your private information. The scammers will then sell that information to other scammers or use it themselves to continue scamming you. [8] X Research source
- Signs: too-good-to-be-true prizes; unverified, relatively new account; significant typos or other errors in their posts
- How to Respond: Report the account to Snapchat Support, then block. If you've seen other people falling for the scam as well, you might post something warning people that it's a scam.
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Survey scams The scammers tell you that you'll get paid to complete their survey, but there's never any payment. Ultimately, this scam is just about getting your private information—the more, the better. [9] X Research source
- Signs: requires personal information before you start the survey; questions become more and more personal; asks you to provide personal information to "qualify" for the survey
- How to Respond: Report the account to Snapchat Support, then block.
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Account recovery scams The scammer typically contacts you outside of the Snapchat app, through either an email or text message, and tells you that your account has been locked and that you must click the link they've provided to recover your account. Sometimes, they'll combine this scam with an imposter scam, pretend to be a friend of yours, and tell you that their account is locked and they need your help to unlock it. In any case, they are only ever after your login credentials. [10] X Trustworthy Source State of Massachusetts Official website for the State of Massachusetts Go to source
- Signs: unsolicited email or text; shortened link so you can't tell where it goes; unofficial links that send you to spoof websites; extreme sense of urgency
- How to Respond: Don't reply, screenshot and report to Snapchat Support.
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Tips
- In the US, you can also report scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) through the agency's ReportFraud page.Thanks
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Warnings
- When in doubt, always err in favor of being cautious with someone you've never met in person and only know online. [30] X Research sourceThanks
- Never send money or private information to someone you've only known online or whose identity you can't independently verify. [31] X Research sourceThanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/10/social-media-golden-goose-scammers
- ↑ https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/oh-portage/portage-county-sheriffs-office-warns-of-sugar-daddy-and-sugar-mama-scam-targeting-local-teens
- ↑ https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/10/social-media-golden-goose-scammers
- ↑ https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-romance-scams
- ↑ https://www.mass.gov/news/steer-clear-of-snapchat-scams
- ↑ https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Publications/SocialMediaScams.asp
- ↑ https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/social-media-scams
- ↑ https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Publications/SocialMediaScams.asp
- ↑ https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/social-media-scams
- ↑ https://www.mass.gov/news/steer-clear-of-snapchat-scams
- ↑ https://www.fdic.gov/resources/consumers/consumer-news/2021-10.html
- ↑ https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Publications/SocialMediaScams.asp
- ↑ https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Publications/SocialMediaScams.asp
- ↑ https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Publications/SocialMediaScams.asp
- ↑ https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/11/slow-your-scroll-spot-and-avoid-social-media-giveaway-scams
- ↑ https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/10/social-media-golden-goose-scammers
- ↑ https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012322854932-How-do-I-turn-on-Ghost-Mode
- ↑ https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012305621908-My-account-is-compromised
- ↑ https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012305621908-My-account-is-compromised
- ↑ https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012305621908-My-account-is-compromised
- ↑ https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012305621908-My-account-is-compromised
- ↑ https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/10/social-media-golden-goose-scammers
- ↑ https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/10/social-media-golden-goose-scammers
- ↑ https://enews.wvu.edu/articles/2021/10/12/defend-your-data-use-these-tips-to-identify-fake-social-media-accounts
- ↑ https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-gb/articles/7012399221652-How-do-I-report-abuse-or-illegal-content-on-Snapchat
- ↑ https://values.snap.com/privacy/your-information
- ↑ https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/social-media-scams
- ↑ https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/social-media-scams
- ↑ https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/10/social-media-golden-goose-scammers
- ↑ https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Publications/SocialMediaScams.asp
- ↑ https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Publications/SocialMediaScams.asp
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