The same text: “Become a Shein ambassador and receive a free certificate of 800 euros. Collab Shein[.]com”. Accompanied by striking colors and photos of models. Thousands of Internet users have seen this story on her Instagram account. Or rather, they have received it.
In fact, these types of stories have been sent to thousands of Internet users through the tag system established by the application. Instagram allows you to mention one or more accounts in your story. This process allows the user to receive it in their classic inbox and not in their spam. A way to attract the attention of users, especially the youngest.
fake instagram accounts
But the attractive story turns out to be a scam, according to the Numerama site. Unsurprisingly, there is actually an 800 euro gift card on Shein to earn when the link is clicked.
The accounts that publish these stories are usually accounts with very few followers and no profile picture. Many of the usernames shown in the various screenshots shared on social media are now untraceable on Instagram. However, it is difficult to say whether these accounts were fleeting or simply reported en masse.
No, you will not get 800 euros for free
The site indicated in the story ultimately refers to a quiz and a minigame. After answering the questions and pulling out a mystery gift, the user is rewarded with their gift card. Except that in the end, the gift card of 800 euros is not free. And no post of ambassador awaits the Internet user.
In fact, the site indicates that the user must pay 2 euros to receive his card. If it may still seem profitable at first, the offer actually hides a rather expensive scam for the scammer. At the bottom of the page, inscribed in very small, a message indicates that it is a special offer that “allows you to benefit from three days of full access to the Shein loyalty club.” After these three days, “every 14 days the full subscription will be automatically charged at the current rate (44.50 euros)”.
A very common scam
On Twitter, many messages are coming in from people overwhelmed by these non-stop stories. The scam does not only affect France. English and Spanish Internet users also shared their annoyance on social networks.
“We are devoting significant resources to fighting on our platforms and off these abuses that affect the entire industry. If the application of our rules is not perfect, we continue to work on the development of new technologies and methods to counteract this content and its authors. ”, indicated Instagram with Numerama.
Like any social media scam, the “Shein” scam should go away in the next few weeks. The app is often prone to scams and other spam, such as Dyson vacuum cleaner spam or the wave of pornographic private messages that occurred a few months ago.
Source: BFM TV
