If you get offered $750 on TikTok just for completing a few simple tasks, be wary. Tempting offers like this are usually too good to be true—learn how to spot them and what to do if you or someone you know ever becomes a victim.
Exposing the Truth Behind TikTok’s $750 Scam
TikTok scams are designed to steal your personal information and deceive you. You’ll be lured in with the promise of quick and easy money, but you’re in for a big surprise when you find out you’ve just wasted your time. Giveaways and coupon scams have become more common on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
You should look out for phrases like “Claim your $750 gift card bonus” or “Limited-time coupon”. This is not an official giveaway from TikTok. Be aware that these scams also operate on other platforms like Instagram Reels, YouTube, Facebook, and more. If you notice a flood of comments from different social media accounts, be on guard. They may be social media bots created by the scammer and not real people.
How Does the Scam Work?
Coupon, giveaway, and gift card scams have been around on social media for a long time, and they seem to have increased in prevalence over the past year. If you come across one, it will prompt you to click on a link, which then takes you to an external website. Once there, you will be asked to complete tasks one at a time, with the promise of receiving a $750 gift card at the end.
Usually, these tasks involve filling out surveys or signing up for free trials of software and services. However, once you’ve completed it all and get to the end (if there ever is an end, since some of them can keep going to grab more and more personal information), it’s too late, and you realize you’ve been scammed.
Some controversial marketing companies also run similar schemes by using fake promotions to collect user data, which they later sell to advertisers and other types of agencies. These types of business models are illegal in most places, while being a gray area in others.
Why These TikTok Scams Seem Real
For a scam like this to succeed, scammers use strategies to make it look as legitimate as possible. One method they use is sending real payments to a small group of participants on social media to create the illusion that this is real and to lure in more victims.
Another trick scammers use is playing on FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). You naturally don’t want to miss out on opportunities or stay behind while everyone else gets ahead, so they use phrases like “Limited Slots Left” or “Offer Expires Soon” to create a sense of urgency. So, FOMO does play a part in making you make a quick decision without properly thinking about it or doing research.
While these phrases aren’t malicious on their own, scammers manipulate them to pressure you into making a quick decision without thinking or researching.
This urgency tactic is not just used in TikTok scams but in many other types of online scams as well.
Since the illusion of legitimacy plays a big role, scammers sometimes collaborate with influencers and content creators. They pay them to promote the scam to reach more people. Most of these influencers don’t realize they’re promoting a scam. They unknowingly post persuasive testimonials like: “I can’t believe how easy it is to receive the $750 gift card! Just follow these steps!” Scammers leverage the credibility of influencers to appear legitimate. But a lot of them unknowingly promote this scam. AI influencers are also becoming a thing on social media and helping to promote scams.
The Real Dangers of TikTok Scams
One of the biggest dangers of the TikTok $750 scam is identity theft. These tasks often require personal information, and scammers collect massive amounts of data from unsuspecting victims. Personally identifiable information (PII) like phone numbers, email addresses, Social Security numbers, and credit card details are sold to other scammers for profit or used in identity theft schemes.
Some scams also trick you into signing up for free trials, where you are required to enter your credit card details. After a short time, victims start getting charged hidden fees. If the fake subscription isn’t canceled, the charges can continue to pile up, with some people losing large amounts of money due to auto-renewal fees. Refunds are never given—so don’t bother.
Be Wary of Receiving a Suspicious Message
Another common tactic related to this type of scam is phishing attacks. You may receive a suspicious email or message mentioning a free coupon or gift card with a website link directing you to a malicious website. This is referred to as a phishing attack (phishing email) or smishing (SMS phishing). The mode of delivery may be different, but the goal of the scam is the same.
These websites can infect your device with malware, putting your data security at risk or stealing your login details by mimicking a legitimate website. For example, instead of PayPal.com, a scam website might use PayPal[.gg] or Amazzon[.]com to trick users. You need to be extra cautious when dealing with a suspicious email or link, and even email domains can be spoofed.
How to Avoid TikTok Scams
The first thing you need to do is stay vigilant. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. The most sustainable action you can take is to protect your data as much as possible when using the internet. Avoid clicking on suspicious links that take you to external websites, and watch out for promises of big rewards for minimal effort—this is a major red flag.
Legitimate websites put effort into their design and grammar and attempt to look as polished as possible, whereas scammers often don’t. However, some scam websites are well-designed with minimal grammar issues, so this isn’t always the best way to tell. Look out for contact details such as a phone number or business address. If this is missing, you’re likely looking at a scam website.
If you suspect a scam on TikTok, Instagram, or any other platform, report it immediately on the social media platform to help protect the community and inform others to prevent them from becoming victim.
What to Do If You Fall for a Scam
If you’ve fallen victim to this scam, you may be distressed, but don’t panic—the best thing to do is take action immediately.
You can cancel any subscriptions you may have signed up for during the “tasks”, and monitor your bank, credit card statements, and payment processors for unauthorized charges. If you notice anything suspicious at all, contact your bank or payment provider immediately.
Don’t forget to also update all your passwords, especially if you’ve reused the same password on multiple sites and accounts. Pick a long and complex password with special characters and change them frequently. If you suspect you have malware installed from accessing a malicious website, there are ways you can check.
I recommend enabling multifactor authentication (MFA) wherever possible—for all your accounts, for good security. So, if one of your login credentials ever gets compromised, the scammer or hacker will unlikely be able to access your account when there’s more than one authentication method active, e.g., phone verification.
Scammers often sell your data that they’ve collected, which can then lead to more spam calls and emails. Also, if you’ve been scammed once, it’s likely you’ll be targeted again since scammers tend to share details of scam victims or people who are likely to fall for fraudulent schemes. To prevent this as much as you can, you can activate spam protection on your phone, which most modern smartphones have now.
You can also report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which tracks and investigates fraudulent activity and scams.
The TikTok $750 scam is just one example of how scammers exploit people by luring them in with too-good-to-be-true offers. If you’re just trying to earn some extra cash, be careful. You may end up with nothing—or worse.
So be mindful of what you come across online, and think before clicking. It could save you a massive headache in the long run.
