Then those accounts, with inflated numbers of followers, are sold on to other spammers. Because you can change the name of an Instagram page easily, it can be difficult to spot when these frauds have taken place. While Instagram giveaways can be thrilling, it’s crucial to approach them with a discerning eye. Remember, a cautious approach today ensures a secure online experience tomorrow. Through their innovative Provably Fair Algorithm, Giveaway.com eliminates any possibility of manipulation or bias in the giveaway results. Using blockchain technology, the prize draw is designed to be transparent, verifiable, and free from tampering.
Don’t let the allure of an extravagant prize cloud your judgment. When in doubt, conduct thorough research and look for verifiable evidence of authenticity before diving into any online contest. When a giveaway is run fairly, the organizer should be able to show you the evidence. A certificate of validity proves that the prize draw was free, fair, and random. At Easypromos, we generate a public, permanent certificate for every single Instagram giveaway on our platform. The fact is, Instagram giveaways are a very powerful way to get more followers organically.
Trickery Tactics
If you are directed to a link where you need to input this information to claim a prize, it’s a scam. This blog post is specifically designed to help UK entrants spot giveaway scams – so some of the advice may not apply to non-UK residents. Most scammers are not UK based, so you’ll be able to spot clues in their content and communication to show it’s a scam.
But if you find a giveaway which just seems too good to be true… maybe check the calendar. The giveaway organizer should be ready to help with any questions or doubts. If you can’t find any contact information, or the organizer doesn’t respond to your messages, then you should be suspicious. Try running it through a tool like Modash’s Fake Follower Check.
How to report fake Instagram giveaways?
Giveaway.com is an effective marketing platform that helps brands define parameters and conduct a highly effective contest. A real giveaway will include simple participation rules, such as liking a post, tagging a friend, or sharing a story. On the other hand, scammers may request various complex tasks, such as sharing across various platforms, tagging dozens of friends, or even revealing personal information.
Here’s an example of how Blackjack.fun uses Giveaway.com to automate the giveaway process to increase traffic to their platform. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2019 had more than 1.3 million reports of scams. If you learn how to know if a giveaway is fake, you can save yourself. If you want to find the legitimate Facebook page of your favorite companies, start with their websites rather than a Facebook search.
You won’t find that blue check mark on the legitimate pages of many large and legitimate websites because Facebook hasn’t verified them yet. Once a significant amount of real people follow the fake page, they contact those followers to tell them they’ve won a prize. When HGTV’s Property Brothers contacted Juanita Molinar to tell her she’d won a prize, she was excited. After doing some research, she realized that she’d nearly fallen for a scam Facebook page, a nefarious type of Facebook giveaway scam.
Suspicious Imagery and Content
Continue reading to learn what to do if you run into a scam on Instagram. In some cases, these accounts will have a high number of followers, views, and likes. While it may seem like thousands of people are hearing your music, they are usually bot accounts, and the Instagram views will not translate into new listeners on streaming platforms.
By applying the steps and precautions outlined in this guide, you can confidently participate in genuine Instagram promotions without falling victim to the pitfalls of scams. SuperLucky occasionally works with products and brands on clearly labelled sponsored (paid) content. Advertising is via Mediavine and SuperLucky is not responsible for ad content.
A good giveaway will result in more followers, without demanding specific numbers or bullying people. If you see a giveaway which insists on a minimum number of followers – especially if it’s very high – then it’s probably shady. But if a brand or influencer is offering a specific prize… then you’d expect them to have their own photos, right? If you notice photos which are obviously generic or used without permission, then you should be suspicious.
- As well as being cautious, we shouldn’t be too cynical either – a lot of new compers miss out on prizes because they don’t believe a winning notification is real!
- It’s basically a stamp of trust, giving you the confidence to dive in and participate with peace of mind.
- Fake ‘congratulations’ messages are the most common giveaway scam on social media.
Simple tasks like sharing with a friend, liking a post, and visiting a webpage. How do you verify a giveaway’s authenticity as a participant? Don’t worry; this post discusses how to verify the authenticity of Instagram giveaways and tell the difference between the real and the fake. Fake ‘congratulations’ messages are the most common giveaway scam on social media. The example below shows a reply to a Facebook comment on a genuine Bargain Booze giveaway.
Be alert if an account claims to be a well-known brand but lacks this symbol. Scammers frequently utilize the names of well-known brands to entice naive participants. By being a bit of a skeptic and doing your homework, you can enjoy the fun stuff online without getting hoodwinked by the digital dodgy dealers. Similar to crypto Instagram scams, many scammers target those who may need some extra money with fake investment opportunities. Because of this, it’s best to be cautious of any cash flipping or get-rich-quick schemes.
If you notice that a giveaway post has lots of hashtags – especially if they’re irrelevant – then it may not be a real giveaway. Even if it is real, it’s aimed at a wide audience and is using spammy tactics. Most real giveaways come from well-established accounts, with plenty of active followers. Be suspicious of accounts which have very few followers, or no activity.
With check marks on the profiles of verified sponsors, you are assured that you can engage a brand with the assurance that they are legitimate. It’s basically a stamp of trust, giving you the confidence to dive in and participate with peace of mind. Compers are an ideal target for social media scammers do you write off fully depreciated assets – we enter so many giveaways, it’s easy to fool us with a fake prize draw or ‘congratulations’ message. It’s especially tricky for brand new compers to identify what’s genuine and what’s not. We’ve all seen those enticing giveaways on social media – win a new phone, vacation package, or designer handbag. However, alarming statistics reveal that not every giveaway is as simple as it seems; many can be scams disguised with exciting prizes.
They may ask you to pay money first or give them your personal information before getting the prize. They use this data in bad ways, such as selling it on the dark web. Unfortunately, fake product and online shopping scams are common on Instagram. These scam Instagram accounts often have many followers, making them seem more legitimate.