Scam Simulator / The 6 tactics
The six tactics behind social media scams
Impersonation, emotion, fake proof, fake crowds, urgency and attacks on warnings. Nearly every social media scam uses some mix of these six.
Impersonation: fake accounts that borrow trust
How scammers copy banks, brands and officials on social media — look-alike handles, bought verification ticks, copied logos — and how to spot them.
Read →😱Emotional manipulation: fear, anger and greed
Why scam posts are built to make you feel first and think later — fear, anger, greed and urgency — and how to slow down before you share or pay.
Read →🎬Fake proof: deepfakes, fake screenshots and AI reviews
Deepfake celebrity videos, fake profit screenshots and AI-written reviews: how scammers manufacture evidence, and how to check claims instead of trusting what you see.
Read →🤖Bot networks and fake engagement: faking the crowd
How fake accounts, bought likes and swarming comments make scams look popular — and trick the algorithm into showing them to real people.
Read →⏳Urgency and private groups: how scams close the deal
Countdowns, ‘last places’, private WhatsApp and Telegram groups and small early payouts: how investment scams isolate people and rush them into paying.
Read →🧨Discrediting warnings: when scammers attack the truth
When banks, journalists or platforms warn about a scam, scammers attack the warning itself — ‘they're lying’, ‘they're paid’, ‘they're censoring us’. How to recognise it.
Read →Learn them by using them
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