Parenting in this digital age is tough, and social media has every stripe of scams running unchecked. In such an environment, we should have a checklist to stay updated on the Instagram scammer list for better safety of our kids. Moreover, the first step to keeping your kids safe online is understanding the dangers and teaching them about it.
Instagram is a massive hit, and millions of people worldwide depend on it every day to share all their great moments with the world or just get inspired by exploring new trends. In addition, this massive platform is also used for scams and the scammers constantly create new ways of how naive individuals can be robbed. This article will show you the most common Instagram scammer list happening online, who is mostly targeted (yes, your kids), and what YOU can do about it.
What are the Instagram scams?
Instagram scams refer to fraudulent acts perpetuated by cyber criminals on the platform who trick users into sharing personal information and money. Then they use it for illegal purposes or to access their accounts. These scams come in many varieties: phishing, fake giveaways, impersonation, and investment fraud. The first step in understanding these scams as a parent is to ensure that your child doesn’t talk to strangers when they are on this application.
These scams specifically target the unwavering trust of innocent, young individuals who are not completely informed about how dangerous online conversations can be. Its features like direct messaging and hashtags as well as trends are all different ways that scammers use to promote their lies.
It can be frightening to consider that your child might get swayed by a scammer to send them your bank details. From there, you’ll end up losing all your savings just because your kid trusts strangers too much. So, before that happens, it is best that you sit your kid down and have a serious talk with them about scammers on Instagram.
Common Instagram scammer list
Common Instagram scams continue to change, and scammers have started getting smarter in how they operate. They typically make new accounts that imitate an authentic user/brand and deceive innocent users. Knowing such Instagram scammer profiles and the usual scams provides you with the tools necessary to protect your child from them.
The scammer could be someone pretending to be a well-known influencer or a celebrity, maybe even one of your child’s friends. These people employ a variety of emotional triggers to hook their victims, including creating urgency and providing what appears to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Learn the following types of Instagram scammer list so you can teach your children to spot fake offers and remain safe from danger.
12 hottest types of Instagram scams
- Phishing Scams: This is when scammers send direct messages or emails to you or your child, typically including a link that takes everyone to a fake login page meant to steal their login credentials. These messages can often be made to resemble legitimate notifications from Instagram itself.
- The NFT Giveaways: Kids are also being targeted by fake giveaways, where accounts lead a user to big prizes while only needing likes, follows, and personal data. But there is no great reward waiting for anyone even if they follow all the mentioned steps.
- Impersonation Scams: Fraudsters will spoof or use a name similar to someone your child knows in an attempt to gain their trust and ask for money or personal information. All of these accounts may have usernames and profile pictures that match those of a real person.
- Investment Scams: Guarantees of skyrocketing returns over the next year (regardless if traded or not) in cryptocurrencies, with particularly early retirement. This desire to get easy money is played by scammers.
- Romance Scams: Fraudsters create romantic feelings between themselves and the victim, then stage an emergency where they need money. Combined with the fact they are often very emotional and manipulative (which of course obscures their deception even further).
- Fake Job Offers Scams that offer jobs that provide high compensation if a payment is made for the costs associated with processing pen work or purchasing training materials. They frequently aim at young people, mostly teenagers seeking their first job.
- Verification Scams: Messages saying your child’s account will be verified or needs to confirm details to prevent deletion. They do this through links to phishing sites. And instant action without any thought could have severe consequences.
- Fake stores that take money for nothing. Despite these businesses being fake, they could still be advertising on the platform through sponsored posts.
- Fake Brand Partnerships: Messages about divided memberships, and starter kits for brand offers that request money. These scams miss no opportunity to tap into the child’s willingness to associate with big names.
- Charity Scams: False or fraudulent solicitations for donations to charitable causes, disaster & victim relief. Campaigns often in the wake of disasters threatening harm to victims then promising relief funds. They appeal to one’s emotions and desire to help.
- Offers quick loans with low interest rates that require the payment of upfront fees. Scams like these can result in sizeable financial losses.
- Catfishing: Setting up fake profiles and using them to get someone emotionally or even financially involved. This takes time often months of manipulation and deceit.
How do scammers target children on Instagram?
Children are often very naive and easily fooled online, and scammers specifically target them through Instagram to get info on their parent’s credit cards. Most of the time, scammers will rely on enticing kids with celebrity collaborations or quick shoutouts from fake influencers. These people know that kids won’t follow through with something that is as complicated as an investment scam. So, the scammers try to exploit your child’s love for their favorite celebrity or influencer to get them to comply.
Part of your responsibility, as parents, is to be able to recognize those tactics and talk about them with your kids at the dinner table. Get on their comfort level and do whatever you must to make your point. Make them understand that sharing personal information can have very negative consequences both mentally and financially. If you have regular conversations about online safety, children will feel more confident in being able to spot and keep away from scams.
How to catch a scammer on Instagram?
An observant eye and knowledge of the most frequent red flags can help in Instagram scammer detection.
- Profile Inconsistencies: This includes mismatched profile pictures, low-quality images, or newly created accounts. This common con involves scammers posting stock photos or pictures stolen from another platform.
- Overly Generous or Unrealistic Offers: Avoid offers going beyond anything that is impossible to pass up. True opportunities hardly ever come with conditions. So, if you find something too good to be true, it probably is.
- Unsolicited Messages: Messages received from other users who you have not connected with, especially if containing requests for personal information or money. Tell your child to disregard these messages or report them.
- Dodgy Links: Never click a link you were not expecting in an email. These links can lead to phishing sites that steal people’s personal information.
- Begs for Cash: No one in real-life business would ask you to stump up money. So, beware of services or products that ask you to make payment.
You must encourage your child to speak about anything weird or odd that they come across on the internet. Help them find these situations more safely by encouraging an open channel of communication. Let them know you are a safe place to come, without shame or consequences.
How to avoid scams on Instagram？
Protecting yourself from Instagram scams requires proactive measures. The simple steps below can help you protect your children and teach them how to properly use this social platform.
- Privacy: Set your child’s account to private so only people who follow them can see their posts. This reduces exposure to potential scammers.
- Two-step Verification: Open up the two-stage check on every account your kid is using. This triggers a second layer of authentication to enter the account.
- Teach your kid: Talk to them about some of the scams and how they can recognize them. One example would be teaching your child to report suspicious accounts or unsolicited messages. This action of reporting scammers improves overall security on Instagram and helps other kids fall victim to the Instagram scammer list.
- Using Parental Control Apps: Parental control apps like FlashGet Kids have a huge role in keeping your kids safe on Instagram and other social media. This app will help the user to track his/her kid’s activities or set time limits. Additionally, this app sends out alerts if it sees anything funky business happening so you can intervene before it’s too late.
The best part? These apps will also help you understand what your child is doing online, and if there are any concerns. Parental control apps allow you to create a safe online space for your children. They also grant them their online independence. Therefore, if your child is spending too much time on the phone then you should use this one-stop parental control solution – FlashGet Kids.
How can parents help keep their children safe on the Internet?
You need to get involved in monitoring and protecting your children on the internet. Otherwise, they’ll soon be a victim of the scams I’ve listed above. Here are a few strategies to help you along your journey to protect your kid from scammers.
Teaching Instagram scams
The first rule in this game is to explain to your kids all the imaginable Instagram frauds. Detail the significance of not sharing their personal information and being mindful about what sounds too good to be true. There are numerous resources available for you to share with your kids, some are provided by Instagram itself. They provide guides, videos, and activities free of charge. Keep your children updated with new scams and tactics as they evolve with new trends.
Promoting transparency in online pursuits
Talk to your kids about what they are doing online. Tell them to stay in touch with you any time they have a concern or need advice about an interaction online. You can also assist them to feel more at ease about discussing such matters by being approachable and supportive.
Establish an open line of communication so that your children can talk to you without fear or punishment. Once they share their concerns with you, appreciate them for that and moderate how one can handle such situations. Make sure they feel that you care and worry about their safety, even when it is deemed extreme.
Parental controls solutions
With a parental control app like FlashGet Kids, you can rest assured your child’s Instagram activities are under control. Some of the features in this app are keyword detection, activity monitoring, and general screen time limits. These features help you stay on top of every issue. FlashGet Kids allows you to have complete control over who can talk to your child. It also lets you decide which things they will be able to see. Additionally, this app provides you with elaborate reports of their every move. This way, you can know about your child’s relationships in the digital world.
Conclusion
If you want your children safe on Instagram and different social media, you have to be hellish vigilant! Remember to always teach your kids about the Instagram scammer list and how your kid can avoid them. There isn’t any better option than making your kid more capable of detecting and avoiding all the possible scams on social media apps. So, sit your kid down and make them understand how their mobile usage on social media can potentially harm them in the future.
Similarly, make sure your kids can enjoy a safe & positive experience when using the Internet. Get involved and you can protect your children from the dangers of the Instagram scammer list. As parents, your role is to guard and guide your children wherever they are, real or virtual realm. If you can learn and educate your children about the extent of these scams, then they are much less likely to fall victim to their online pursuits. So, don’t hesitate to give the kids a more secure space online and allow them to enjoy social media without having any fear of scams.
