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Audio By Carbonatix
A TikToker recently shared her experience dealing with an online scam where someone asked her if they could use one of her pictures for an “art project” and even offered her a commission. It turned out that the “art project” was merely a Trojan horse the scammer was using in an attempt to steal some of her personal information.
The TikTok user, @jen961, explained in a video all about the “new scam” including what the person said to her and how she stopped it from happening.
How the scam works
“What happened was, I got a message the other day from some girl and she was asking if she could use one of my pictures,” she recalled. “And she said she’s working on a art project.
“So I went to her profile to see if she’s really an artist. And she had tons of paintings and drawings. So I thought, ‘Okay, maybe it is legit.’
“So I wrote her back and I asked her what picture was she interested in and she said my profile picture. And I said, ‘Okay, that should be fine.’
“And then she wrote back and she was like, ‘Oh, thank you so much. Once the product is finished you will get a copy and also receive a commission.
“And I was like, ‘Oh, okay, cool.’ You know, whatever.
“And then she says, ‘So all I need from you is your full name and your email so my client can send over an e-check. We don’t need any bank information. Just a full name and email.
“And I’m like, ‘Nope, not happening.’ And I told her obviously she’s trying to scam me and it’s not gonna work.
“After she read my message, I guess she maybe blocked me or she deactivated her account because her profile picture went away. And then it said ‘account not available’ or something.
“And then today I got two more messages from different people asking the same thing. If they could use one of my pictures for an art project. So, heads up, guys. Be careful.
@jend961 Heads up! New scam trending!#fyp #scam #art ♬ original sound – jend961
The scammers have tried this on many people
Dozens of people commented on her TikTok video that the “same thing happened” to them.
“Same thing happened [to] me and they sent me a copy of a check for my photo,” one TikTok user wrote. “I took the check to the bank and had them check the check and it was fraudulent. I immediately reported it to TT.”
“That [happened] to me,” another wrote. “Exact thing. I told her I don’t need any check and would not accept any money. She kept asking why. I finally deleted her.”
“Got that yesterday. Deleted it!” read another comment, that echoed many, many others.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is aware of the scam
There are several variations of this scam, according to the FTC. Scammers can pretend to hire you as a mystery shopper or as a personal assistant. They will send out a fake check and then ask to have some of the money wired to another account. They can also send a fake check they claim is to cover the cost of buying gift cards. Then they ask for the PIN numbers to be sent to the “boss.”
The scammers will also use car wrap advertising or a fake sweepstakes to lure potential victims. Another scam is “accidentally” sending a check for too much money, then asking for the balance to be refunded.
The FTC warns that these scams work because “fake checks generally look just like real checks, even to bank employees. They are often printed with the names and addresses of legitimate financial institutions. They may even be real checks written on bank accounts that belong to someone whose identity has been stolen. It can take weeks for a bank to figure out that the check is a fake.”
Content shared from brobible.com.