#scam education

[ofishal-fish-posts]

New Scam Just Dropped

The bots are evolving. Maybe. Looks like they had AI write this maybe :/

Block and report.

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Is it just me or am I getting swamped with scam posts today?

They've been on the rise, I think. I've gotten more in the last few weeks than usual.

Seems like a good time to remind people that if the person in your inbox asking for cash is a stranger, it's likely a scam.

And, yes, that includes anyone saying they've been "vetted" by other users. I've checked those claims when I get those particular style of post in my inbox, and I can't find any proof of how the people listed as vetters are vetting. Just putting "vetted" at the bottom of a post or saying "on the vetted list" doesn't prove anything. It does, however, smell even scammier to me. Build a bot, set it loose, say you vetted it, and profit.

People want to be kind and people want to help and people need to be careful that their emotional response doesn't overrun their common sense

[ofishal-fish-posts]

Important! The Art Scams Have Moved to Tumblr!

This morning, a friend of mine recieved a DM on tumblr praising their fanfiction and offering artwork for a fee. They asked me to look at it, and the wording was suspiciously similar to the art commission scams that have been going around AO3 and ff.net. We also inspected the blog that had sent it; the alleged commission artist had a very blank blog with only one piece of art posted on it. We decided it was likely a scam.

The DM looked like this (I've edited out details about the fic, but yes there were specific details about the fic in the DM):

Anyway. If you get a DM like this, please inspect it carefully. There are many talented artists on tumblr who offer commissions, but as we all know, tumblr is also full of scammers and pornbots. These scams are also going around AO3 and ff.net, as I've said.

[ofishal-fish-posts]

I've noticed an uptick of scammy "donation" posts going around. Now, I'm not saying not to donate to people, but please be careful and look out for yourselves! Scammers often try to play on people's emotions, which is probably why they make fake donation posts to play on people's sympathy.

Here's some more resources about scams on Tumblr (you may already know this info, but it's still a good idea to spread it around for those who may not know).

Common scams on Tumblr

How to report spam, phishing, etc on Tumblr

[ofishal-fish-posts]

remember, folks, if someone you don't know comes into your inbox asking for money/help, it's probably a scam! block and report. they are scams, and they will not hesitate to play on your emotions. Stay safe out there!

[ofishal-fish-posts]

Hey since I got one this morning I thought I'd make a post about it....

If someone that you don't know sends you an ask asking for money, it is very likely a scam! Common ones include "sick pets" or "I need money to evacuate (country)". These are scams, and they will not hesitate to play on your emotions. Stay safe out there and report them for phishing! Here's how to report content. Choose "unlawful uses or content" and then "phishing". Spread the word and please please be careful.

[dangerhissy]

Can I talk to you? I don’t want anything from you, and I don’t want you to ignore me either. I’m a father of a family, and I’m doing what I need to do. If you give me some time to talk, you’ll understand why I’m reaching out to you.

I know you might wonder why I’m bothering to write, and you have no reason to respond, which is what many people do. I’m sending you this now out of desperation because many haven’t replied.

While I take care of my daily family responsibilities, I’m engaged in this exhausting and time-wasting endeavor where no one is responding. All that’s left for me is despair, and I have no other solutions.

This is exactly how scammers social engineer you to feel sorry for them, feel guilty for not responding to them, and then get you over a barrel.

I have googled this guy, I have seen the dozens and dozens of posts of people sharing the exact same message he supposedly sent them (not this one, another about his family) across nearly every social media platform. He might be genuine, but this message and this blog it came from? They sure as hell aren't.

The account the message came from (mohammedalanqar) has only been active since Oct 10 2024 (just over a month)

A dedicated family man doesn't want to just talk to strange woman on the internet

No decent grown man messages MINORS to talk to them, but if you google the first line of this message you'll see it on a blog that has been marked as belonging to a 16 year old as of August this year

The exact same message, word for word, is being sent to other blogs on this app and not all of them from the same account (again, just google the first line of the message)

The formatting is just weird, like it's been hastily copy and pasted from another platform- because it has.

These posts are designed to make you angry, to tug on your heartstrings and make you defensive about helping them.

If you think I'm a heartless monster for not helping this person out, then congratulations, you have just been socially engineered by a scammer.

It is not your fault. You are not stupid. You are a decent human being capable of compassion and there are criminals out there who are more than willing to use that against you.

Some tips to avoid scammers:

Do not donate or share messages from people ion your ask box asking for help, instead find a known charity, vet them as thoroughly as you need to, and then go with that.

I have donated more than once to UNRWA since this started, they are a trusted and legitimate charity in the reigon. You know who the reliable charities are; you see them every time the news talks about an earthquake, flood, or Israel trying to stop them getting into Gaza- the Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, UNICEF, Save The Children etcetc

If you are going to donate, go directly to the website yourself. Any link that you click is suspect so don't click them.

If you are harassed by an account that asks for your financial details, makes demands you can't meet or begins to try and bully you into sharing their posts or donating to them quickly- walk away and do not feel bad about it, it is a scam

Thirdly, Anyone who tells you that they have verified a scammer or vetted them is an idiot; scammers can keep people on the hook for years, milking them dry and drip feeding them more sob stories. So, unless you know the person sharing the post personally, they are a trained fraud investigator, and they have met the person they are recommending to you in person then they are not doing more than being a stooge for a criminal and their qualifications for vetting scammers are not reliable. (Don't @ me)

Gofundme verifies a fundraiser based on how much money they receive (either over a certain amount or within a certain timeframe). This verification is just a measure to ensure people who donate to a large fundraiser can get a refund and does not guarantee that a fundraiser is legitimate

If you have been a victim of a scam you need to learn as much as possible to protect yourself from future attacks. You can read about social engineering and how it works (as well as other kinds of scams and how to recognise them) here