Social Media Scams
A 'friend' whose account was hacked messages asking for help — or a fake celebrity promises to double any crypto you send them. Social platforms are simultaneously the distribution channel and the target.
How it worksThe anatomy of the scam
Every case follows roughly the same playbook. Recognize the pattern, stop it early.
1. The compromised friend
'Hey, are you around? I need a small favor.' From a hacked account or cloned profile.
2. The 'giveaway'
Fake Elon Musk, MrBeast, or crypto exchange account promises: 'Send 0.1 ETH, get 0.2 ETH back.'
3. The verified impersonator
With the end of free verification, blue checkmarks are now bought — scammers use them to seem credible.
4. The DM pivot
'Can we move this to Telegram?' is the gateway to romance, investment, or pig butchering scams.
Warning signsRed flags to watch for
If you're seeing two or more of these, assume it's a scam until proven otherwise.
Any 'send crypto, get more back'
It's always fake. No exceptions.
Friend messaging in a different tone
Hacked accounts use templated scripts.
Verified account you've never heard of
Verification is no longer a quality signal.
Protect yourselfDo this. Not that.
✓ Do
Call your friend on the phone before sending money — even a small amount.
✗ Don't
Never send crypto to a giveaway account.
✓ Do
Enable 2FA and passkeys on every social account you care about.
✗ Don't
Don't trust blue checkmarks as proof of identity.
RelatedIf this happened to you, also check
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