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Last updated on July 5th, 2024 at 11:49 am
It looks like gift card scams are back on Instagram. These aren’t new I’ve shared about previous scams which had similar posts. Unlike winning the latest smartphone these are usually gift cards for large amounts.
The one I was tagged for stated I’d won a $750 USD gift card to Starbucks.
If you encounter this take a minute to think about it. Did you enter a giveaway recently? If not it’s a scam don’t fall for it.
the scam
These are very similar to other giveaway scams that make the rounds via social media. Someone creates a fake account and that account just tags random accounts. They usually are bare-bones accounts with no photo or some generic photo. They also direct you to the main profile where you can claim your prize.
I was tagged under my nessa6297 Instagram account for this huge win for a Starbucks gift card.
As you can see they tend to make it look flashy and add lots of emojis. They also add a lot of white space before listing the winners at the bottom of the caption.
the iPhone Giveaway SCam is hitting Instagram
The profile that tagged me
The profile that tagged me for the supposed win is very flat and seems like a fake or spam account because it has no profile image and no bio aside from a name and IG handle.
As you can see from the screenshot the profile has been giving away Starbucks gift cards for a few days or maybe weeks. I didn’t do too much digging.
The main profile
This was one of those scams where one profile tags you and directs you to another profile to claim your prize. The main profile was all about Starbucks it seems. They used a lot of the brand’s logos and product images of coffee.
the profile also included a link. When I viewed the link it took me to a 404 unavailable page. So that probably means the site was taken down.
the link reads start promos site.
How is this a scam?
If you haven’t entered any giveaways via Instagram lately this is surely a scam. If you are tagged by a random account again that’s a red flag.
Also if you are directed to another profile that requests you sign up for something in order to claim your prize that’s a scam.
As I mentioned the link was dead it was a 404 unavailable notice. But in the past, I’ve seen some sites that want you to sign up for some unknown movie streaming site. Other times it was to join some website.
what you can do
If you are tagged as a winner by these types of profiles always report them.
How to report:
- click on the three dots (…) on the top right of the post.
- click report
- choose your report option. I usually mark it as spam.
You can also report the account in the same manner. Or you can just block both profiles as well.
How to block
- Click the 3 dots(…) in the upper right-hand corner of the account.
- Click the block option
- select which method you would like to block the account or to block the account and any following accounts that the person creates.
Another thing you can do is share these posts with friends to let others know that this is going around.
Don’t fall for this scam. If it’s too good to be true it probably is.
Don’t forget to sign my petition so we can try to stop these profiles.
