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⚠️ Scam warning: there are accounts posing as Mastodon admins claiming to offer "rewards" or "payments" or "partnerships".
These are scams. There are no reward or payment schemes on Mastodon. No genuine admin would ever send this kind of post or reply.
If you see scam posts like the ones in the screenshot below, report them by clicking ⋯ on the scam posts and then selecting "report".
@FediTips Wir fordern eine Klarnamenspflicht im Fediverse!
@FediTips What is even the point of scamming to take over a mastodon account anyways?
They use it to post the other scams that steal credit cards etc, and because they come from a trustworthy account people are more likely to fall for them.
p.s. Another couple of scams to watch out for as well:
- Scammers saying you need to verify by clicking on a link. Admins will NEVER demand you verify. The verification system on Mastodon is optional and does not involve credit cards or any kind of payment.
- Scammers saying you need to temporarily change your account's email address. Admins will NEVER do this. This is done by scammers who want to take over your account, which is possible if you change your email to match theirs.
@FediTips
The email one ought to be bloody obvious. If someone is asking you to change an email address to one that isn't yours, they are going to use that email to gain access to your stuff.
The rewards one, not so much, unless you know that Mastodon admins can barely afford to keep their server running. You'd have a better chance buying shares in mr. St. Claus' toy factory on the North Pole.
p.p.s. I've just done a guide all about how to deal with scams and scammers on the Fediverse at:
➡️ https://fedi.tips/how-to-avoid-scammers-on-mastodon-and-the-fediverse
I've tried to cover all the known scams and questions people have about dealing with them. If I'm missing anything from this please let me know.
@FediTips
I had 3 come up today, all different userids. They each cam up each time I made a post to https://programming.dev/c/dotnetmaui, replying to it from Mastodon, but not when I posted to different Communities, so they're not following me per se, but some combination in there triggered them each time, but a different bot each time, as I said
@FediTips
I nuked all those accounts and closed registrations again. Sorry for the trouble.
Okay, good to hear! 👏
I assume this is a scam. i was going to report it, but i don't even know what they're saying. so i blocked it.
Received a 3rd version, telling me my account was suspended!
Yup, that's an older scam they've brought back it seems. I'll do a follow-up post about that as well.
No admin will ever demand you verify your account. The verification system on here is optional and works using websites and not links like that.
@FediTips "I got RICH off Mastadon, and you can too! Send me $50 and I'll tell you how!"
@FediTips I wonder how large (or small) the Venn diagram is for folks (1) smart enough to navigate the shoals and set up a Mastodon account and (2) uh, .... not smart enough to recognize this as an absolute scam. 🤔
@FediTips imagine trying to scam on mastodon... Who r u trying to scam.. thats crazy...
First, I was trying to hit the boost button, and I kept pressing it because it didn’t seem to take and then I realize you have a screenshot. 😅
