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Leave a Comment / By Selma Hrynchuk / January 11, 2024
Top 4 Most Common Pinterest Scams and How To Avoid Them
Beware of a series of Pinterest scams happening these days. Pinterest has over 445 million monthly active users worldwide, with the most significant portion of its audience being Millennial women aged 25-34, accounting for 28.5% of its global audience. It is the 14th most popular social media platform worldwide.
As a result, with its success came many scams. Here are the four most common scams on Pinterest and how they work.
1. Password Change
In this scenario, scammers send email notifications to registered users advising them that they have successfully reset their passwords. Users click on the link in the email and are led through various screens, taking them to a compromised website that will infect their PC with malware.
Scammers create images and fake websites with Pinterest branding. They look very realistic and lure victims into clicking on the provided link, where they must enter their login credentials.
Here is a screenshot below:
One of the latest tricks is the key phrase: “Someone logged into your Pinterest account from a new location in Argentina. We want to confirm this was you.”
If you did not log in from this location, you should follow the link below to tell us you didn’t make the change. We’ll lock your account until you secure it with a new password. To lock your account and prevent unauthorized usage, click this link or paste it into your browser”.
The link will take you to a page similar to the actual Pinterest website – only it’s criminal.
2. Pinterest Tool
The Pinterest tool scam involves users being tricked into downloading a browser add-on that is supposed to add features to Pinterest to aid in browsing the site. This tool is being promoted through spam on the Pinterest website, which takes users to fake sites such as pinteresf.org or pinterets.com (or many other variations with misspelled letters), which are not official.
Once on the site, users are urged to download add-ons for Chrome and Firefox. Of course, these plug-ins are nothing but malware, collecting user names and passwords. They are then sent to remote servers controlled by the crooks.
From there, you can only imagine what can happen if you fall victim to this scam. As Pinterest grows in popularity, so does the risk of you being in danger.
If you spot this advertisement or offer, close the browser window. Even if you select “no thanks,” you still install the plug-in. Be aware that these types of scams can lurk behind the most innocuous-looking content, so be wary of any place with a domain name that is slightly different than Pinterest. These are likely not legitimate offers or sites.
3. Pinterest Photo Posting Scam
The Pinterest Photo Posting Scam typically involves spammers pinning enticing photos with captions such as “click here for a free coupon” or a similar offer.
When users click on these links, they are directed to a page that prompts them to fill out a questionnaire, which often contains personal questions.
This is a ploy to obtain personal information from unsuspecting users. The scam lures individuals with the promise of freebies or rewards, leading them to divulge their details to a fraudulent entity.
4. Pinterest Surveys
Users may come across pins or links claiming to offer discounts or exclusive content in exchange for completing a survey. Here is their modus operandi:
- Attractive Offers: Scammers create pins or posts that offer enticing rewards, such as free gift cards, exclusive content, or significant discounts on popular products or services. These offers are designed to grab users’ attention and spark their interest.
- Survey Links: The pins or posts contain links that supposedly lead to survey pages. Users are prompted to click these links to participate in the survey and claim rewards.
- Data Collection: Once users click the survey links, they are directed to web pages requesting personal information. These surveys often ask for details such as email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, and sometimes even financial information. Users might be under the impression that they need to provide this information to receive the promised rewards.
- Phishing or Malware: The survey pages may sometimes act as phishing sites designed to steal login credentials or other sensitive data. Alternatively, users might be prompted to download files or software as part of the survey process, which could contain malware.
- No Rewards: After completing the survey, users may find that they do not receive the promised rewards. The scammers have already obtained the user’s personal information, and the entire poll was a deceptive tactic.
Users need to be cautious and avoid sharing personal information in response to such offers, as legitimate companies would not ask for sensitive details in this manner.
Additionally, users should refrain from repinning or sharing photos that make such dubious claims, as this can contribute to the spread of the scam. To avoid falling victim to these scams, it is essential to remain vigilant and exercise discretion when encountering such content on Pinterest.
Although Pinterest’s user growth has slowed down in recent years, it has seen some growth in the last couple of years, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought more active users to the platform. Pinterest is still an effective platform for any marketer to drive engagement and sales in 2024.
How To Report a Pinterest Scammer
Warn your family and friends know about these Pinterest scams. Feel free to share the article if it was helpful. However, you can report scammers and any suspicious activity officially to Pinterest or the Federal Trade Commission, the Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI Internet Complaint Center by using the pages below:
How To Protect Yourself More
Do you want to receive alerts about the most notorious scams on a regular basis? Subscribe to our scam alerts. You will receive periodic emails from Scam Detector with exclusive tips. Those will include info on how to prevent fraud and insights about the newest tools you can use to fight crime.
Feel free to explore additional articles on related fraud. You can find them listed below this paragraph, so that you know more about online security. Last but not least, if you had any bad experiences, make sure to use the comments section below to expose other scammers.
