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Last updated on July 5th, 2024 at 11:49 am
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I’ve been using social media for years. It’s a way to keep in touch with loved ones or to keep up to date with things I like. I think most of us use social media. It doesn’t matter what platform you use there always seems to be some form of spam.
I thought I’d share a few things I’ve come across lately.
Some spam is directed at everyone while others may be gender specific. But either way, no one should have to put up with spam on a platform especially if it’s uninvited comments or things that border on harassment.
sugar daddies/mamas
Okay, this is a big one for me. I think this tends to slow then picks up again. I had a new one this weekend via Tumblr.
The person posted a comment that I DM (direct message) them. The comment was posted to a random blog post talking about cats.
Here’s a screenshot of their Tumblr account profile. The silliest thing is that they don’t even put any effort into creating a believable profile. They tend to add generic images to their header image such as a ring doorbell for this person’s photo.
They also all tend to try to make themselves sound very exciting or just use generic text as well.
They always want you to message them at a selected number. I edited the number in the photo because the phone number listed was legitimate. It was to a Tax service office in the midwest.
what made me laugh about this profile was the image the person used. It’s some older man smoking with a stained shirt. Doesn’t that just scream sugar daddy material?
I’ve had several other sugar daddies contact me via Instagram. Many like to point out that they are gay. I don’t know what that has to do with anything but apparently, they are willing to give me $500 to $2000.
I had one request I send them my bills so they could pay them.
I once had a sugar mama profile post a rather dirty comment on an unrelated post. They claimed I was beautiful and wanted to eat me. (Take that comment as you like).
I’ve had a few male friends share that they have had random messages from Sugar mama profiles as well.
Crypto sales
If I had a dollar for all the crypto sales or other digital currency sales I’ve had I’d probably have close to $300. Some of these profiles don’t give up. I get that they probably get a commission for every person they bring into a site but come on.
I had one profile that claimed to be run by a woman trying to befriend me before jumping into the sales pitch.
My favorite pitch was where the person tried to convince me that every person I shared the crypto offers with I’d earn a commission. So basically I’d be rolling in money.
MLM sales
We can all admit MLMs (multi-level marketing) have been around for years. Now many programs offer commissions via online sales as well. Some are even offering sellers dedicated pages. I get all that but please don’t try to pass off your company as being the end all be all of the career options.
I had a person bother me for 3 weeks over a free sample product I was sent. They tried to tell me that their boss had been a blogger once as well then joined their company. After joining the because so successful and one of the highest sellers. The usual speech.
I also had someone try to pitch me a few other popular brands under the guise of being a brand ambassador. Most of these were for health and wellness brands.
social media marketing/followers
I’ve noticed a big rise in profiles trying to sell you social media advertising or trying to grow your follower count. I get these are something that will never go away. But boy are they annoying.
some profiles are nice about it others just spam endlessly with the silly promote at… or share to…. or they just flat out spam your account specifically on Instagram.
Variety of scams
asking for money
I once had a profile ask me for $500. The person used a photo of a university student or mid 20 something guy with his dog. They claimed they needed the money for school and food.
I had also seen a few people share that there were profiles claiming to be single parents sending out random DM’s or replying to Instagram stories stating they needed money for themselves and their kids for food.
Resharing/reposting scams
I’ve seen so many scams via social media over the years. It’s surprising how many people think they are legit. Some have ranged from simple tasks like trying to spell the word giveaway single letter without being broken. To flat-out spamming accounts. I saw one that had you tag 3 people and then post the giveaway to 10 Facebook group pages.
I’ve also seen scams that claimed you’d win the latest smartphone by sharing an email address. There were some that even claimed to be from celebrities and you’d get a few thousand dollars if you followed whatever the rules were.
romance scams
I’ve seen romance scams as well. I’ve shared about them in the past. One of my favorite of all times DM’s I had from a scammer was that he needed a gift card for his sick daughter so she could sell it to go to the hospital.
I laughed at the one for a while.
Other general romance or love interest scams where profiles contact women or men trying to flatter them. Most claim they are overseas or away from home. They are usually seeking to find a friend which quickly turns romantic.
what you can do about this
You can report these pages or profiles on the platforms you see the content on. You can also block these profiles as well.
Granted it can become a chore but at least you can cut down on the spam.
You can also do what I do and call out profiles that you feel are scams or spam.
Have you seen any other spam on social media lately? if so share it in the comments.