YouTube is the world’s largest video search engine, allowing people to share their videos and earn money if their account meets the monetization level, regardless of their niche. However, with the increasing popularity of the platform, there has been a rise in YouTube scams.
Recently, several cases of people being scammed by offering to people to do promotional work YouTube have been reported. One such recent example of a scam via WhatsApp is where a 47-year-old man working for a marketing company in Mumbai lost Rs. 1.3 crore to a ‘like on YouTube and earn money” fraud. The man received a WhatsApp message offering him a part-time job that could earn him between Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 7,000 per day. The person promised to pay him for every like his videos received on YouTube with a registration fee of Rs. 5,000. At the start of this fake campaign, the man was asked to watch a video, like it, and send a screenshot of it. After completing the task, the man received an initial payment of Rs. 10,000, which encouraged him to earn more. After this, the scammer added him to a Telegram group where he received more tasks but never got paid for them. Instead, he was told that he hadn’t done the tasks correctly and was asked for more money to continue the program. Over time, the man ended up paying Rs. 1.3 crore to the fraudsters. Finally, he filed an FIR, and the fraudster is still at large. This story was covered by Times of India recently.
|See also: YouTube Monetization Vs. YouTube Sponsorship
This online fraud is just one example, while there are many other types of online scams happening, including phishing, spam, fake accounts, and clickbait and you could be the next target of these scammers.
Table of Contents
What’s the Phishing Scam?
In the phishing scam, scammers trick people into giving their personal information to a fraudulent website, leading to the loss of all money from their accounts. While in Spam, a person is bombarded with unwanted emails or messages. Once someone clicks on the links of these emails, all of their accounts and personal details will be shared with scammers.
What’s the Fake Account Scam?
Fake account scams are also very common, where a person creates a fake account and pretends to be someone else to scam people or spread fake news. Clickbait is another scam where anyone can be tricked by ads or directed to a fraudulent website by clicking on a sensational or misleading title of a video.
Now the question arises, how to stay alert and avoid falling victim to YouTube scams?
| See also: How to Check YouTube Monetization Status of Your Channel
Learn How to Prevent Yourself from Online Fraud
- Beware of offers that look too good to be true: If you receive a message or email promising you a job or a way to make a lot of money on YouTube, be cautious. Legitimate job offers and money-making opportunities require hard work and dedication.
- Be cautious about unknown accounts: When interacting with someone unknown on YouTube, make sure their account is authentic by checking simple things like their profile picture, description, and username. If the account looks suspicious, don’t fall for it.
- Never click on suspicious links: Before clicking on any links that an unknown sender shares on YouTube, check the legitimacy of the account. Don’t click on links that look suspicious or that you don’t recognize.
- Always report suspicious activity: If you notice any suspicious activity while watching or creating a video on YouTube, report it using the YouTube reporting system. You can describe your issue with a screenshot of the report to help identify and stop scams.
- Set up two-factor authentication on your account: Since YouTube is part of Google and you need a Google account to access your activities on YouTube, make sure your account is secured. Set up a two-factor authentication system that adds an extra layer of protection to your account.
- Always check the source: Before sharing any information, news, or video from YouTube, check the source of that video or information. Remember that not everything on YouTube is true. If the source is not credible or it is not a well-known channel, be cautious.
- Never share personal details: Be cautious when sharing any of your personal information online with anyone. Never share your passwords, bank account details, or any other sensitive information with anyone on YouTube to stay safe and protected.
- Set up a strong password: People often make the mistake of creating a simple and easy-to-remember password without adding any numbers or special characters. However, easy-to-remember passwords are easy for scammers to crack. Use strong passwords for your accounts, change them regularly, and avoid using the same password for multiple accounts.
- Be aware of fake ads: Nowadays, scammers create fake ads that look very legitimate. Be cautious when clicking on these ads on YouTube and always verify the source of the ad. To cross-verify the source, you can search for the information shared in the ad on Google and look for authentic website results. Additionally, you can check the ad source channel. If it is a new account, then be alert.
- Keep your software up to date: Make sure that your PC/Mobile software, including your web browser and antivirus software/apps, is up to date. This can help prevent many types of online attacks from scammers.
In addition to these tips, it is also important to stay informed about the latest YouTube scams. Follow with news and information about YouTube scams and the latest tactics used by scammers to keep you, your friends, and your family protected from such scams.
Conclusion
YouTube scams are happening rapidly, and it is essential to stay alert and cautious. By following the tips mentioned above, you can protect yourself from YouTube scams and stay safe online. Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it is probably a scam. Always do your research before falling for any promising offer on digital platforms. Be cautious and stay safe!
