Messaging Red Flags and How to Spot Them (Fraud, Scams, and Spam)

Spotting Red Flags 

Common Types of Scams

Wanting to Use Your Work as Inspiration

Offering Money for a Service

Claiming to be a Sugar Daddy or Sugar Mommy

Blackmailing You with Personal Photos

Phishing for Personal Information

How to Protect Yourself

Reporting a Scam

 

At VSCO we aim to create and maintain a safe space for creators like you to experiment freely, be inspired, and make meaningful connections. We created Messages to aid in that connection, by allowing you to exchange editing tips, share compelling profiles and content, and receive creative feedback from your peers! 

While we aim to provide a safe community for all our creators, not everyone operates in online communities with the best intentions. If you have a gut feeling that a message you received may be a scam, you should operate with caution. Scams and fraud can happen anywhere. It is important to know what to look out for when interacting with other creators you may not know.

 

Spotting Red Flags 

A promise of easy money is a good indicator that you may be dealing with a scammer. For example, be on the lookout for creators offering modeling contracts, asking you to be a sugar baby, or offer payment in exchange for photos. While they may claim there are no strings attached, it may very well be a scam.

If a creator offers to pay you for using your work as inspiration, be sure to verify their legitimacy first.

 

Common Types of Scams

Below is a list of common scams that you could encounter online. Online scammers are getting more creative, so it’s important to note that just because an interaction doesn’t match a scenario below, it doesn’t mean it’s not a scam. Always proceed with caution when talking to a stranger online.

 

Wanting to Use Your Work as Inspiration

Receiving recognition for your work is an amazing feeling, and scammers may take advantage of that. If someone is asking to use your work for inspiration, for you to be their muse, or to license your work, be aware of the red flags to look out for: 

If there is an abundance of grammatical errors. If a message is full of misspellings and wrong words, it’s likely a scam. If they ask for financial information. Don’t provide your financial information to someone you do not know or trust.  If they offer a promise of a big brand deal. Always know who you are interacting with and do your research. Asking to receive an email from their company email with further details is a great way to verify their legitimacy with a brand. Be sure to verify their email address domain as well.

 

Offering Money for a Service

Scammers will often send messages with promises of easy money. In reality, this is done for them to get money from you. To do so, they may:

Promise a gig or sponsorship that can make you hundreds of dollars. They may ask for an upfront payment first as a signup fee, but then disappear once you pay. They may also ask you for login information so that they can set up your account. Instead, they will use this personal information to gain access to your other accounts. Offer payment if you will cash a check for them. They will send you a photo of a fraudulent check for you to mobile deposit for them and in exchange you can keep some of the money as payment. Once you send them their portion of the check, the check will bounce and no money will be deposited into your account. Claim they are from a casting agency. Scammers may pose as a legitimate casting agency with promises of large modeling or acting contracts. Never agree to meet with someone you do not know for potential modeling or acting work. A legitimate agency will support the involvement of a parent, guardian, or agent in the process.   Tell you they are in desperate need. Scammers may tug at your heartstrings and tell you they are in urgent need of money for surgery or food and will pay your back once they are able to. However, once you send them money, they disappear.

 

Claiming to be a Sugar Daddy or Sugar Mommy

A “sugar daddy” or “sugar momma” is a person who reaches out to a younger individual, also known as a “sugar baby,” with the promise of providing money, gift cards, or presents in exchange for companionship and/or services.

There are three tactics often used:

The sugar daddy or mommy will ask for upfront payment first. They’ll tell you they need you to either “cover” the cost of shipping any gifts or money transfer fees. They may also require this payment to prove your loyalty. Once you pay the amount requested, however, the sugar daddy or mommy disappears without any further contact. The sugar daddy or mommy demands your bank account information. They’ll claim they want to deposit funds into your account. But in reality, the scammer will only empty the account. Don’t provide your financial information to someone you do not know or trust.  They actually send you money and ask you to send some back. For example, the scammer may give you $1,000, using a fraudulent check or gift cards purchased with stolen credit cards. Then they’ll ask you for $100 back in gift cards as a token of appreciation or to buy your next gift. Once you make payment, you then discover that the check bounced or the gift cards you received don’t work.

 

Blackmailing You with Personal Photos

Financial Sextortion is when scammers demand payment in exchange for keeping intimate photos private. They will often ask for your phone number or to chat on a different online platform before pressuring you into sending pictures and then threatening to leak them.   

If this has happened to you, you are not alone. You can take the following steps:

 

• Stop responding. Scammers count on you being scared and acting quickly. Remain calm and stop responding to them on all platforms. 

 

• Do not pay them. Paying them will not stop the threats. Oftentimes, they’ll continue to ask for more money. If you paid them already, do not feel ashamed– you can still get help.  

 

• Save any evidence. Save screenshots of the scammers username, conversations, threats, and any images or videos that were sent. These records are important for reporting the scam. 

 

• Block and Report. Block the person right away so they are no longer able to contact you on VSCO. Then, report the messages or the account to our Trust & Safety team so we can review the interactions and take action. 

 

• Let a trusted peer or adult know. Do not try to deal with this by yourself. Reach out to a parent, guardian, teacher, coach, or mentor and let them know what’s happened. They can help guide you.

 

• Report to authorities. Reach out to your local police department and share the evidence you’ve gathered. If you’re comfortable, you can also self-report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline.

 

Phishing for Personal Information

In a phishing scam, hackers use malicious links to collect your usernames and passwords, and/or infect your device with malware. They may create and send scam emails or texts that look like they are from VSCO prompting you to log in, or even message you from their own VSCO account with a malicious link.

If you receive a suspicious text, email, or VSCO message, keep the following in mind: 

Do not click on links from unknown sources. Scammers may send an email or text claiming that your VSCO account has been hacked or accessed by an unauthorized user. The message will likely urge you to click a link to log in to verify your identity, change your password, or "secure" your account. Always be sure any verification email you receive is from an official VSCO email.   If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be skeptical of any message that claims you have won a prize, especially if you do not recall entering any contest. The message may use a malicious link for you to click on to claim your reward.   Do not respond to urgency. A hacker may threaten to delete your data or leak photos if you don’t take immediate action by clicking the link. The link may then lead to a fake site, where they can collect your personal information or infect your device with malware.   VSCO does not use threats or scare tactics to communicate. If you receive a threatening message, it is not from the official VSCO profile. Please report the messages to our Trust & Safety team so we can review the interactions and take appropriate action.

 

How to Protect Yourself

• Do not share your financial or personal information freely. Remember that companies generally do not contact you to ask for your sensitive information like your username, password, or photos or videos of you, especially through messages.

 

• Do not send money or personal information to anyone you do not know or have not verified is offering a legitimate business opportunity, business, or service. To be safe, send money or personal information only to an individual you know personally or who you have independently verified. 

 

• Be careful with what information you share on VSCO. By openly sharing things like pet names, schools you attended, family members, and your birthday, you can give a scammer all the information they need to guess your password or answer your security questions on your other online accounts.

 

• Look for VSCO Activity. While not always foolproof, look for account activity that shows signs of a real user. Things like profile photos, full galleries, Reposts, and Spaces are good signs of an active VSCO user.

 

• Look for a “Member” or “Pro” badge in someone’s profile on VSCO. This badge indicates that the VSCO creator is either a paid member or on a temporary trial membership. Note that someone on a temporary membership trial is not a fully paid member.

 

Reporting a Scam

When in doubt, report a conversation to our Trust & Safety Team, and we will look into it. 

To report click the Options icon in the top right corner and select “Report”.

You are also able to block creators, mute, and leave messages. Be sure to visit Staying Safe with Messages for complete details on safety settings within messages. 

Learn more about safety on VSCO.

Last Updated October 2024