Eye on Scams: Social media scams trying to access emails

Con-artists are getting greedy. Not only are they trying to steal your Instagram account password, they are also phishing for your email login. 

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – Con-artists are getting greedy. Not only are they trying to steal your Instagram account password, they are also phishing for your email login. 

Scammers have always made a habit of impersonating other people, but now they are impersonating our favorite social media accounts.

Chris Babin with the Better Business Bureau of Acadiana explains how these scams work. "Scammers are impersonating things like Instagram, Facebook, emailing consumers saying that 'we have your account locked. You are infringing on copyright laws, and we need you to log in and clear up some of this information.' Well, of course, the information is from a scammer, the communication that you're getting, and then you're in turn giving them your login information to your social media account," says Babin.

They will threaten that if you don't click a link, saying your account will be deleted in 24 hours because immediate action is what scammers love. "A lot of times the email is claiming to come from Instagram itself. There's a link for you to click on to verify that the copyright infringement that they have on you are not valid or you have to dispute those through this particular link. Of course, there's no truth to that. The copyright threat is really just to get your attention and get you to click on the link," says Babin.

Here's how you can spot these scams:

• Check the "From" email address and link destinations. Hover any links in the email to see where the link really leads.
• Understand how businesses handle communications. If you know how a company handles disputes and suspicious activity with your account, it will be easier to spot a scam.
• Look into the claims. Log into your account or look up the company's official phone number and call them to confirm that there really is a case of suspicious activity before you do anything.
• Don't panic. Scammers want you to panic. They may use intimidation tactics, such as claiming your account will be shut down in 24 hours… To pressure you into giving up your personal information.

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