Fake “Sugar Daddies” are cheating on Instagram

Avast has reminded how scams can happen anywhere, even on most beloved social media platforms.

A young girl in her early 20s tells how she almost got scammed while she was only scrolling Instagram.

I was scrolling through my Instagram and received a notification about a new direct message request (DM). I saw an older man pictured in a channel’s photo.

The older man first gained her trust and then offered her his sugar baby for 1,500 euros per week.

Keep reading to know what happened next and how you can avoid such scams…

Scammer promises weekly payments

This girl knew what she was getting into, but she continued to see where this went:

Although this came across as an obvious scam attempt, I got curious. So I responded to what he would like me to do in return, after which he told me that he was simply looking for someone to talk to since his wife had passed away.

He also sent her some pictures of other teens holding money with signboards saying “real sugar daddy.” He convinced her to give him a Paypal account link so he could transfer her payments.

He sent her a fake picture in which it was mentioned that payments were pending, and she had to send him some amount through Google pay so she could be verified and her pending payments could be delivered.

Do you see how he pulled out a trick here? He was showing her a fake picture and asking for money in return.

The picture had obviously been faked. I blocked him.

 Image source – avast.com

How does this works?

These scammers know how to manipulate their victims.

• First, they lure their victims through DMs on Instagram that sounds to be true.
• They gain your trust.
• And then they offer free payments to you, but first, you have to verify.
• After you verify by sending them money, these scammers disappear.

For the verification process, they mostly require prepaid cards, google pay, Amazon gift cards.

The reason behind this is because these payment methods are hard to refund.

This scam is affecting women globally now.

Cybercriminals target those women who may have difficult financial situations or are inspired by Instagram fake celebrities and want to live a luxury life like them and get trapped in these types of scams offering free money.

Alleged “sugar daddies” take advantage of them and make profits and end up causing a lot of damage.

How to avoid these scams

• Rule of thumb
• Ignoring unknown messages
• Free money
• Never share your details
• Do research on the internet

Rule of thumb

Whenever something seems too good to be true, trust me, it’s a scam. There is no easy way to earn this much amount of money.

You have to work hard to earn 1500 euros, not just an older man who wants to chat with you.

Ignoring unknown messages

if you receive any messages from an anonymous user. Ignore him and never chat with strangers or people who ask more than they should from you.

These people DMs you with a motive, not mistakenly.

Free money

Would you offer someone free money that you have earned by working day and night? You won’t; as mentioned above, if you hear someone offering free money, know that it is a scam, and soon they’ll ask you to verify by sending them money.

Never share your details

Never share your details with strangers. Do not tell them your address, mail, card number, or any other personal information. You would not do it in person, so why on the internet?

In this century, misusing information is so common and easy for scammers and hackers.

Do research on the internet

Always research on the internet; you would be shocked to see similar stories on the internet. If you want to validate any information, person or message, do research; many people have encountered the same type of scams.

Read different forums, articles, and join informational groups.

Same technique different victims

Internet is filled with these types of scams, and if you read them, you will notice that they use the same method and techniques to scam young girls.

• Last year a girl posted on the internet about how an older man tried to scam her

He offered me $5000 a week to be his sugar baby. In return. in return, he just wanted someone trustworthy and sweet and talked to him. He would even support rent, school, etc.….

He asked for her Paypal account and told her different stories about how he helped other motherless kids and other women who needed help. He said:

I need you to get an Amazon card first. My business is hooked up there, and I pay my all sugar babies like this. You have to buy an amazon gift card for me. After I  confirm your card only, I can Paypal you.

Like this, there is an unlimited number of stories posted on the internet by women.

Conclusion

These types of scams are not unique nowadays. People are getting scammed daily to earn free money. If it were this easy to make money, then everyone would be a millionaire. Do not lose what you have in the greediness of earning easy money. There is no such thing at all.

If you receive such types of DMs, then report them on the platform where you have received such messages so these scams can be prevented and reduced as much as possible.