10 Common Snapchat Scams and How to Prevent Them

Snapchat scammers are skilled at luring people into handing money they’ve saved. This article will discuss methods for identifying Snapchat scams and show the best ways to utilize tools such as LifeLock Ultimate Plus, which has a social media monitoring feature, to prevent attempts to steal your identity.

Snapchat is a social media app that is known for its multi-media messaging capabilities, funny filters, and interactive map. With a wide array of features that permit users to stay connected by using an internet connection and a smartphone, there’s no reason to doubt that Snapchat boasts millions of active users.

As the app is used by more people, but also draws more fraudsters. We’ll show you what you should do to know and how to stay clear of Snapchat scams.

What are Snapchat scams?

Snapchat scams encompass all of the techniques used by criminals to defraud users of the social messaging app for media. But, Snapchat scams aren’t exclusive to the application. You may also get fake password reset accounts verification, password resets, or messages with reminders to you via text or by email.

How do Snapchat scams work?

When it comes to Snapchat scams, cybercriminals usually use the technique of social engineering or phishing strategies to entice users into taking the desired step. In general, this is how the Snapchat scam operates:

• Creates fake accounts: Scammers make fake accounts, pretending to be someone they want to add, such as an actor, an acquaintance, or a person.
• They find people to talk to: Scammers are likely to add all of their friends on their suggested list or use for random usernames.
• They run their scam. They put together an elaborate scheme to deceive their Snapchat customers and friends into transferring money or other information. In some instances,s they might even make use of the information they collect to get your personal information.

Who do Snapchat scams target?

Snapchat scammers are trying to take advantage of anyone who responds with their messages, or takes friend requests, regardless of race, gender or age. In addition, since Snapchat is home to over 576 million members, and cybercriminals are able to target many victims to pick from.

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Top 10 common Snapchat scams

Snapchat scams can take on various forms and could result in embarrassment or loss of money. The most common Snapchat scams comprise romance frauds, fake contest scams, frauds by imposters, and account recovery scams, and more.

Here are some of the most popular Snapchat scams to avoid and methods to bounce back in the event of the following scam:

1. Romance scam

A romance scam is also known as an online dating scam that involves luring a person into thinking that they’re in a relationship with someone they’ve met on the internet. In real life, the lover is a swindler who takes on an untrue identity in order to win respect from the intended. Once they have built a base with trustworthiness, the fraudster starts soliciting money and presents, but keeps their victim at a distance.

• Scam signs: Requesting personal details, requiring entry fees, but not publishing rules, or promising winners that are too good to be true.
• What should you do: Send suspicious offers to Snapchat support to allow them to investigate and eliminate the post in the event of fraud.

If you are concerned that the person you’re messaging isn’t real, true, go with your instincts and end the connection.

2. Fake contest scam

Some scammers will create fake contests or giveaways to trick Snapchat users into thinking that they stand a chance to win prizes. However, these contests are designed to steal personal details and to extort money from contest participants. At the end of the day, the contestants do not win a prize.

• Scam signs: Requesting personal information, demanding the payment of an entrance fee but not publishing rules, or promising good-faith, true prizes.
• What should you do? Report any suspicious offers to Snapchat support to allow them to examine and take down the giveaway in the event that it’s fraudulent.

To find out whether the Snapchat contest is fraudulent, take a look at the person hosting the contest. Most of the time, verified influencers or companies are the ones to hold contests. They won’t also ask for cash or private information and will abide by the rules for sweepstakes and lottery.

3. Imposter scams

When it comes to Snapchat imposter scams, criminals pose as people that their victims like or admire, usually an acquaintance, a celebrity or a company they trust. Scammers employ this tactic to trick their victims, and are often successful since the majority of young Snapchat users are enticed by the enthusiasm. Once the person they are targeting is convinced in the ruse, the scammer can exploit their curiosity and convince users to make a payment.

• Scam signs: Sending unwelcome friend requests, sending spammy or misspelled messages, avoiding video calls, and using fake pictures.
• What should you do? Look up the person’s profile to determine the possibility of duplicate results. Additionally, you can use Snapchat’s “Friend Check Up” feature to eliminate spam accounts or any other person you don’t want to talk with from your friend list.

One of the best ways to stay clear of getting swindled by scams that are imposters is to trust your gut. If it’s not clear who the person is who messages you, it’s likely not they. If you’re not sure, verify the information on the sender’s profile to see if it’s in alignment with the display name and username the user is using on other social networks. If you think you’re talking to a celeb, make sure to verify that the account is verified and has the black star in an orange circle.

4. Account recovery scam

A scam to recover accounts on Snapchat includes fraudsters disguised as official IT support representatives. Scammers claim that a Snapchat user’s account has been compromised and needs verification or a fresh password for more security. If they succeed, they will take their original claim and convince users to disclose their details, such as login details. With these credentials they could access Snapchat’s Snapchat account and use it to extort other users.

In addition, an agent from a fake support company could try to convince the client that their account is closed and that they are able to return it if they pay an amount. In these instances, the typical scenario is to ask the holder of the account to make a transaction using gift cards or the payment system such as PayPal.

• Scam signs: Sending unsolicited messages from Snapchat Support asking for personal information, directing users to websites that are not official,l and writing messages with poor grammar and spelling.
• What should you do? Only reset your password by using the official email address you have requested yourself. Do not open support messages in the event that you did not request assistance.

Do not open any unsolicited messages or hyperlinks sent by Snapchat support. Sometimes, the company will provide updates via their account that is officially “Team Snapchat” account on the app. However, they won’t reach you by email, text, or via the app concerning your account unless you request assistance.

5. Adult content scam

Sometimes referred to as premium account scams, Adult content scams on Snapchat typically involve a person who poses as an adult creator. The “creator” is typically someone who has stolen images from another to market suggestive, or occasionally explicit, images and videos. However, in certain instances the goal isn’t to make money from the content, but to convince someone to provide their payment information.

• Scam signs: Sending unsolicited friend requests, offering exclusive deals, sending spammy messages or sending suspicious links, soliciting payment, or posting inconsistent content.
• What should you do? Report these frauds to the local police as they are often a gateway into the world of fraud and other criminal actions. If you’re worried about legal implications for dealing with an adult content creator, consult an attorney regarding the options you have prior to making a decision.

If you are added to Snapchat from the air and immediately start sending sexually explicit messages, images or videos, and requesting money, block them. Genuine adult content creators usually utilize an authorized channel, or app, and don’t require any kind of payment via Snapchat.

6. Employment and investment scams

In schemes for investment and employment, Scammers lure Snapchatters by promising high-paying, low-effort opportunities. These scams typically involve an initial cost for starting up, however, they do not appear to offer major catches on first sight. However, they often end up being Multi-level Marketing Schemes (MLMs) and fraudulent investments, or even non-existent jobs.

• Scam signs: Sending unsolicited job solicitations, attempting to sell your MLM schemes, offering poor economic advice, and claiming that you’ll earn lots of money quickly.
• What should you do? Report the employment or investment frauds to a variety of agencies, but begin with informing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

To avoid being tricked and swindled, take your time and conduct some research before submitting your application, or, even more importantly, signing. In most cases, you can search the business or person’s name, and then look up reviews or mentions of fraud to determine the company’s credibility.

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7. Meet-up scam

Typically, meet-up scams are a part of a larger romance scheme, however, they are also used in other situations as well. For example, scammers may appear as record producers, talent agents or photographers, or someone they know to influence their victims. No matter what ruse they devise, scammers attempt to manipulate their victims ‘ emotions and hopes to convince them to send money, but not planning to meet IRL.

• Scam signs: Getting invitations from strangers, refusing set up specifics for a meetup, and insisting that attendees pay for covers upfront.
• What should you do? Cut all losses. Block them. Never give them money to pay for gas or transport.

If someone asks you to meet them, whether they’re an acquaintance or a professional, check them out on social media and the internet to ensure they’re the person they claim to be. If you discover them on the internet, however, their persona or writing style appears different to the person you’re talking with You can reverse the image search of any pictures they’ve posted to determine whether they’re stolen.

8. Sugar momma or daddy scam

Fake sugar daddies and mommas typically target young people offering to contribute their wealth in exchange for romantic love, friendship, or out of the kindness in their heart. Most of the time, these Snapchat fraudsters will assume the image of a person who is older to make their case.

• Scam signs: Sending unsolicited sugar-baby advertisements, offering financial rewards but not delivering on the promise, they ask you to first pay to cover processing charges, they ask you to provide the details of your bank account.
• What should you do? Call your bank as soon as possible to stop any unauthorized transactions. Also, you should submit a police report to the police department in your area.

If you’re looking for something similar to this, avoid solicitations that ask for private information like the number of your account at a bank and your Social Security number (SSN).

9. Survey scam

In survey schemes, scammers could create a fake Snapchat account that tries to portray themselves as a legitimate company or a celebrity. Then, they will persuade people who sign up on the fake account to take surveys to be awarded a cash prize. If innocent Snapchatters click the link to complete this survey, they often send them to a malware-infected website.

In addition, they may inform participants that they have to pay a cost to enter the contest. In these instances, the scammer generally takes the money, but does not keep the promise to provide the prize.

• Scam signs: Guaranteeing impressive rewards, delivering hyperlinks to untrusted websites, composing messages using poor grammar and spelling, and requesting users to fill in personal details in a questionnaire.
• What should you do? If a survey is asking you for too much data, you should close it. No prize can be worth risking. If the survey redirects you away from Snapchat to a fake site, close the app, the browser, clean out your cache, and restart your device.

To prevent scammers from taking your personal details, make sure you only participate in surveys run by well-known organizations or a reputable source. Make sure that the surveys you take part in are safe and never request payment information or personal information.

10. Charity scam

In charity scams, the majority of Snapchat scammers will set up a fake account, that is supposedly a non-profit organisation, to request donations. In these instances, they usually fake a website to ensure that the scammer can divert money to their accounts.

In other situations, individuals may appear to solicit donations to support a worthy cause. The scammers typically ask their followers and friends to donate to crowdfunding or payment platforms such as Venmo, Cash App or GoFundMe. Once they’ve received their money, they keep the money instead of transferring the money to.

• Scam signs: Requesting personal details to confirm your donation, and not having an official website, impersonating well-known charities, and requesting donations using gift cards or crypto.
• What should you do? In many cases, it is very difficult (if it’s not even impossible) to retrieve funds that are lost through scams for charity. However, you could try to contest this transaction to your financial institution, inform police, and then make a complaint to the FTC to begin the process of recovering.

Snapchatters who are not verified and unidentified soliciting donations are typically fraudsters. Be wary of anyone who tells you that they’ll pass on the money you make without providing any further information.

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How can you protect yourself against Snapchat scammers?

You can protect yourself against Snapchat scams by paying close to the minute things, particularly when communicating with people who are not familiar and uninitiated influencers. Here are some tips to secure yourself from Snapchat scams.

• Do not open links that appear suspicious and a QR code. Snapchat lets you view external hyperlinks. Before clicking, make sure you check the logo, name of business and URL to confirm the legitimacy of the link.
• Block people who send provocative photos. If you receive explicit messages without any description or background, it’s likely a bot, or an extortionist.
• Hide the Snap Map location. Ghosting yourself can stop criminals from stalking you or using your details to scam others.
• Be wary of friend requests from strangers. While some legitimately utilize Snapchat to meet new people, however, be cautious regarding requests to join a group from strangers you don’t know, especially if you don’t belong to any common interests or groups.
• Choose a strong password. Choose a secure password to keep hackers from gaining access and gaining access to your account. If you’ve been victimized, think about changing your password to stop attacks, to hack your account.
• Don’t divulge your login details. Don’t give your password to your friends or log into devices that you don’t own unless you are certain that your password will not be saved after you have finished your session.
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). Create 2-factor authentication in Snapchat to ensure that scammers are kept from your account, even if the login information is compromised.
• Do not send money to anyone whom you don’t even know IRL. Snapchat fraudsters will spend a lot of time to convince you that they’re your friends and that they need help, or sending money will be beneficial in the end.
• Enhance your privacy settings. By restricting who can view your snap story, see your location, communicate with you, and view you within Quick Add, you can keep scammers from getting access to your account.
• Don’t share your details. It is easy to post too much information through platforms such as Snapchat. But, you must be cautious about what you share to ensure that you don’t provide scammers with ammunition to use against you. Therefore, you should avoid posting the full details of your name and address or any other personal identifying information that people who don’t have your best interests in mind could view it.

FAQs about Snapchat scams