A free iPhone 13 on Instagram? Don’t fall for it!
James Martin/CNET
Social media scams are nothing new, but cyberthieves continue to think up new ploys to get your personal information. If you use Instagram, you might’ve noticed a sudden uptick of strangers tagging you in posts about winning a free iPhone 13. All you have to do is click the link in the description to claim it, the post says. This scheme isn’t new: It has reportedly resurfaced every few years along with the release of a new iPhone.
If you’ve been tagged in one — or several — of these posts, sorry, but there’s no free phone waiting for you. If you click the link, you’ll be redirected to a webpage where you’ll be asked to enter a few details and your credit or debit card information, according to a February report by Hindustan Times Tech.
Here’s how to be on the lookout for the scam and how to guard against it.
What does the scam look like on Instagram?
Here are two examples of what this scam looks:
