If you have a public Instagram account, you may have had a surprising streak of good luck recently, as multiple posts claim you have won a gift card for fashion shopping site Shein.
Unfortunately, it’s too good to be true. The accounts making these posts have nothing to do with Shein and, if you follow the links, you’ll eventually be asked for your card details and charged money, but will never receive the gift card.
“Scammers are constantly identifying new ways to target victims online, and their tactics are getting more sophisticated and robust,” Luis Corrons, a security evangelist at antivirus provider Avast, told the Evening Standard.
“They know and understand the role social media plays in many of our everyday lives as well as our shopping habits, which makes social channels such as Instagram a lucrative platform for scams.”
What is the Shein gift card Instagram scam?
Instagram users who encounter the scam will generally see that they have been tagged in a photo by an account they don’t recognise.
The picture will then often show a happy shopper unpacking a bag or box of Shein purchases, with a caption which tells users that, if they have been tagged in the photo, they have won a Shein gift card.
But, if you follow the links on the account’s profile, you will be taken to a series of questions. Researchers from Avast found there are no wrong answers and, whatever you choose, you will get through to a page where, after selecting an image of a gift box, you will be told you’ve won a high-value gift card.
But here’s the catch: You’ll be asked to provide card details in order to supposedly pay a small postage fee of a few pounds.
Of course, the gift card never arrives. Instead, you find yourself subscribed to a service you never wanted, that charges money on a regular basis.
How do I spot a scam?
Shein has already warned customers about the scam, advising that they will only ever contact people from their official accounts and will never request payment via a mobile-payment app.
Always double-check the username and profile of anyone purporting to be associated with a brand, looking at whether they have a verified checkmark, and how many posts and followers they have.
Mr Corrons also advises keeping the “it’s too good to be true” rule in mind. “Beware of social comments promising you free cash or selling incredible products at unbelievable prices,” he says. “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
How do I stop scammers tagging me on Instagram?
If you have a public Instagram account, your privacy settings may allow others to tag you in photographs and posts.
If you only want to interact with people you know, you could consider making your account fully private. To do this, go to your own profile, then tap the three bars at the top and open ‘Settings’. Open your ‘Privacy’ settings and toggle the ‘Private account’ option at the top.
But, if you want to keep your Instagram profile public, there is another way to limit how other accounts interact with you.
Also on your ‘Privacy’ settings, you can find ‘Posts’. Here you can change ‘Who can tag you’, choosing from options of everyone, no-one, or only people you follow. This controls who can tag you in a post. Alternatively, you can choose to manually approve tags, which means you’ll get to review any requests to tag you and reject ones from people you don’t know.
How do I avoid other scams on Instagram?
While reviewing your privacy settings, you may want to restrict other features, too. Although the fake Shein scam functions through picture tags, others may use stories, comments, or captions to try to entice victims. Instagram allows users to restrict who can interact with what you post.
If you find yourself being inundated with unwanted interaction, you could also try Instagram’s ‘Limits’ feature. This was designed to help people facing harassment and abuse on the platform, putting a temporary block on interactions from accounts that don’t follow you or only recently started following you.
When encountering what looks like a scam post, tap the three dots in the top-right of the post to report it. Once you’ve done that, Instagram should give you the option to block the poster. Make sure to select the option that lets you also block any new accounts they might create. This is important because, the longer an account goes unreported, the greater chance it has of successfully duping someone else.
“While the scam starts on Instagram, the sensitive information is captured elsewhere, which could be a reason why the account created to perform these scams is not reported and remains on the Instagram platform for longer periods of time, affecting more people,” Mr Corrons adds.
What has Shein and Instagram said of the scam?
But what do Shein and Instagram think of scammers exploiting a technical loophole on the platform and using the allure of Shein vouchers on a popular social-media platform to spearphish people?
A Shein spokesperson said; “Shein is aware of scams that have been surfacing on social media using our brand name. We regularly and routinely communicate with our followers and consumers about such instances, and also provide them with tips to not fall victim to such scams.
“Shein remains vigilant and reports scams to the relevant social-media platforms for further action and removal. We are committed to always providing a safe and secure shopping experience for all our consumers.”
We also contacted Instagram for comment but they have not replied.
